Zoe Saldana in <i>The Losers</i>.
Zoe Saldana has shrugged off criticism about her appearance in Nina.
The Avatar star was criticised by Nina Simone's family, who are against the biopic about the jazz singer and civil rights activist, following the release of the movie's trailer, while many Twitter users complained about Zoe's appearance as the
teaser showed her sporting a prosthetic nose and a darker skin tone for the role.
A friend of the actress has now spoken out, insisting Zoe - whose father was from the Dominican Republic, while her mother is from Puerto Rico - is not bothered by the backlash and was expecting it because she is not African/American.
The source told the New York Post newspaper: "This started three years ago. They actually thought the project was shelved, but it's coming out and she's proud of it. There's always controversy [over] 'is she Latin or isn't she Latin,' so she's used to that, but this is different for her."
Zoe was chosen for the role in 2012 and she has admitted she expected her casting to cause controversy.
