Zoe Saldana says that she will do Nina Simone justice when she plays the singer in a new biopic.
The casting of Saldana in the new movie has come under fire because she looks nothing like Simone.
But Saldana is taking all of the criticism on the chin and says that she was ready to take on this role.
She tells Allure: "Let me tell you, if Elizabeth Taylor can be Cleopatra, I can be Nina - I'm sorry.
"It doesn't matter how much backlash I will get for it. I will honour and respect my black community because that's who I am."
The movie is expected to hit the big screen sometime this year and will see Saldana team up with director Cynthia Mort.
David Oyelowo, Alexa Davalos and Mike Epps join the actress on the cast list in a movie that charts Simone's rise to fame and her relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson.
We can see Saldana on the big screen at the moment as she is reprising the role of Uhura in Star Trek Into Darkness.
The movie has so far topped the UK box office and looks set to be one of the big hits of the summer.
She has also finished work on Blood Ties and Out of the Furnace and will take on the role of Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.
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