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Zoe Saldana has won many fans for her performances in films like “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Star Trek” and Avatar” – but she may have lost some with her latest controversial comments.
The actress has gone public with her theory that a big part of the blame for Donald Trump’s election victory lies with the influential Hollywood community. She star says that all those celebrities making “bullying” comments about Trump had a counter productive effect by energizing his supporters.
Public relations expert Michael Levine, who has represented 58 Oscar winners and served as counsel to three former U.S. presidents, tells ENTITY that, “Hollywood celebrities are NOT responsible for Trump’s victory but the over-connection to the Democratic party to Hollywood does raise a question of tactics.”
He thinks Saldana’s remarks will not impact her career, explaining, “The nation is in a state of real unrest and has better things to focus on than her comments.”
READ MORE: It Takes Women to Unite a Nation Divided by Donald Trump
Saldana, 38, tells AFP that the constant attacks on Trump from celebrities “created empathy in a big group of people in America that felt bad for him and that are believing in his promises.”
In the same interview she points out she is no fan of Trump herself but thinks her fellow stars got their tactics wrong in attacking him, adding, “We got cocky and became arrogant and we also became bullies.”
@IKilledBecky @zoesaldana calling out Trump for his lies and abhorrent behavior is not bullying; it’s defending those he has abused
— Luis Burgos (@Vorykua72) January 14, 2017
I’m not mad a Zoe Saldana’s comments because I get where she’s coming from. But this colorblind kumbaya BS she believes about Trump is sad
— Black Girl Nerds (@BlackGirlNerds) January 14, 2017
Of his victory, she adds, “I’m learning from it with a lot of humility.” She has come under fire for the remarks on social media but this is not the first time Zoe has been the subject of controversy lately.
READ MORE: 5 Signs the Forthcoming Trump Presidency Could Normalize Racism
The actress was criticized for darkening her skin with blackface and wearing a prosthetic nose to to play African-American singer Nina Simone in the biopic “Nina” last year, prompting claims that Hollywood was averse to casting dark-skinned black actors. Even Simone’s estate disapproved of the casting choice.
Saldana’s ethnicity is such a fascinating topic to many that there were 100,000 Google searches about her race last year. For the record her late father was Afro-Dominican, her mother is Puerto Rican and she also has Lebanese and Haitian roots.
But the mother of two hit out at anyone who criticized her for taking the Nina Simone role, telling Allure magazine, “There’s no one way to be black. I’m black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I’m raising black men. Don’t you ever think you can look at me and address me with such disdain.”
We are moving in, Mr. Trump… If you need anyone to take out the squatters, got your back, Bronx style. #Trump2016 pic.twitter.com/5U7CoSn4J9
— Stacey Dash (@REALStaceyDash) July 7, 2016
