Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is less than thrilled about the biopic film Winnie, which will star Jennifer Hudson, but the activist says that her issue is with the people behind the camera.
"I have absolutely nothing against Jennifer, but I have everything against the movie itself," she told CNN. "I was not consulted. I am still alive, and I think that it is a total disrespect to come to South Africa, make a movie about my struggle and call that movie some translation of a romantic life of Winnie Mandela."
Hudson never met with Madikizela-Mandela, but her rep says it wasn't because she didn't want to. The producers advised against the two meeting, according to CNN, because they wanted to uphold the integrity of the book, Winnie Mandela: A Life, that the film is actually based on.
Madikizela-Mandela also expressed her concern about director Darrell Roodt's portrayal of her life as a love story. “I think it is an insult," Mandela told CNN of the film. "I don't know what would be romantic in our bitter struggle."
If you're making a film about a woman, wouldn't it make more sense to talk to her directly rather than go by a book written about her? Despite the challenges her involvement could present, wouldn't the result be worth it? It would be one thing if it were her autobiography, but it's not. Not to discredit the book, but no one knows Madikizela-Mandela's story better than she does.
Read more at CNN.
In other news: Candorville: Dropping the N-Word.