Zoe Saldana, who took over the role of Nyota Uhura from Nichelle Nichols for JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot and stars in last weekend’s #2 film in the US, Colombiana, recently discussed the ever-present issue of racism in Hollywood.
“I’ve witnessed racism all my life. And of course there’s racism and discrimination in Hollywood. You go for a part and they say, ‘Oh, we really liked her, she’s amazing, but we wanted to go with something more traditional’. As if I’m not a traditional American!” said Saldana.
“I feel sorry for people like that. They need to educate themselves. Mostly you move on and say, ‘Well, I wasn’t meant to work with you or be around someone like you’. Other times you might say, ‘You’re ignorant, you’re a racist. That’s it. I’m out of here!'” she continued.
“It’s trendy to hate Americans right now. Deep down, some people are enjoying the fact that the most powerful nation on Earth is struggling a little – and then they deny that’s racist! And that frightens me.” Saldana commented.
[Source: FanShare]
FurtherOn
August 29, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Zoe is a great actress and an amazingly beautiful woman. It’s sad to see that racism is still present in Hollywood, almost 50 years after Nichelle dealt with it on the original Star Trek TV series.
Anastasia Taz Garcia
August 30, 2011 at 1:36 am
What is she even on about? She acts like it’s as big a deal as it was 50 years ago.