Nina Simone was an extremely influential musician, a woman who did things on her own terms for years after cutting ties with her husband Andrew Stroud, who was also her manager. The iconic singer was also a fierce civil rights activist, and all the things she experienced have kept fans intrigued for years. That’s why, when a biopic about her life was announced, many were behind it…until the lead role went to Zoe Saldana. Now, Saldana is facing backlash, and several fellow stars are coming to her defense.

For some, Saldana was a controversial choice to play Simone because she had to darken her skin and wear prosthetics in order to more closely resemble the star, and after she took to Twitter recently to talk about Nina Simone, Simone’s estate replied pretty harshly.

.@zoesaldana Cool story but please take Nina's name out your mouth. For the rest of your life.

— Nina Simone (@NinaSimoneMusic) March 3, 2016

Hopefully people begin to understand this is painful. Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, nauseating, soul-crushing. It shall pass, but for now…

— Nina Simone (@NinaSimoneMusic) March 3, 2016

This week, Queen Latifah said in an interview that she doesn’t understand why Saldana couldn’t play Simone.

“I think Zoe Saldana is a great actress, so I am looking forward to it. She is of African descent — I don’t see why she shouldn’t play the role. I just want to see it. Get rid of the hype and let’s go watch a movie,” Latifah said.

Paula Patton also came to Zoe’s defense, saying people need to give her a chance before they judge the film.

“Clearly, someone thought she was perfect for it — she’s an amazing actress, she’s beautiful — and you haven’t even given her a chance and you haven’t seen it yet. I think we have to be in a place where we celebrate each other and are kind to one another, and say, ‘There’s alternate versions of a story.’ Give her a shot, try to enjoy it and stop judging.”