In recent years, conversations about representation in film have become more visible; unfortunately, controversial casting decisions reveal that the industry does not fully understand the importance of representing people of color appropriately. Many films overlook the importance of representation and identity. An example of this is Zoe Saldaña being cast as Nina Simone in the biopic Nina. Nina Simone was known for her musical talent as well as being a dark-skinned Black woman with Afrocentric features. Zoe Saldaña, on the other hand, is not known to be a singer; she is an Afro-Latina woman. This gained a lot of criticism due to Nina Simone's struggle with racism andcolorism. To cast an individual who is not a proper representation of a Black woman with Afro-Centric features is not culturally or socially appropriate and or acceptable. In order for Zoe Saldaña to play Nina Simone, she had to wear darker makeup and prosthetics to alter her appearance in the film. This controversy revealed a larger issue in Hollywood’s casting decisions and how they are often made without fully considering cultural and historical significance. 

Similar to the controversy behind the film Nina, Jacob Elordi is cast as Heathcliff in the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights directed by Emerald Fennell, based on the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Both of these films reveal that Hollywood prioritizes marketability over representation. The backlash that surrounds the casting of Zoe as Nina Simone shows how directors like Cynthia Mort don’t see past the surface. Zoe may be a woman of color; however, she and Nina have no similar features other than being women of color. This is all to say that at the time of the casting for the film Nina, Cynthia Mort saw Zoe Saldaña as the person for this film due to her successes in Hollywood, as well as checking the box of being a woman of color. It is very obvious that Cynthia Mort did not consider anything else when casting the lead for said film; we see that only the attention it gained matters and not what it means on a deeper level. Nina Simone, in her career, spoke about the importance of her identity as a Black woman, and to have Zoe Saldaña play her goes against everything she’d worked for. Cynthia Mort simply wanted to gain when releasing this film and nothing more than that. This situation is not fully to blame Zoe Saldaña whoe spoke out and apologized, she also went as far as saying “ I should have not played Nina Simone.” This shows how big of an issue this casting was, and even though Zoe apologized, it still does nothing because there is still a film out there associated with the wonderful Nina Simone who was unfortunately not represented properly. 

It’s unfortunate that 10 years later, a similar issue arises. Jacob Elordi, who was cast as Heathcliff in the film Wuthering Heights. In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Heathcliff is constantly described as a “dark- skinned gypsy” and a foreign looking outsider. Though in the novel it does not explicitly say Heathcliff’s race, it still provides us with enough detail to say he is not white. Casting Jacob Elordi, a white Australian actor, removes the importance of Heathcliff’s character as well as its representation in the novel. When directors ignore very important details about character descriptions, it takes away not only the importance of their existence but also the importance of the representation at that time. Given that the novel was written in a time when people of color were frowned upon, to have Emily Brontë, a White woman, see the importance of having those details of the “dark-skinned gypsy described is so culturally and socially important.

These casting decisions reveal that directors not only don't understand the importance of appropriate representation, but they also lack the ability to care about anything but their potential gain from the films. When casting for an adaptation or biopic, directors need to pay attention to detail and not only think about themselves. When filmmakers overlook the historical and cultural understanding of things, it results in disaster for the individuals who are once again misrepresented. This is all to say that the controversy that surrounds casting choices shows that representation in media is more compelling than including actors who fans adore and are fond of. Casting decisions may seem unimportant, but ultimately reveal larger cultural issues about the stories that are told within those representations.