Mary J. Blige is currently working hard before shooting on the Nina Simone biopic, Nina, begins in the fall: “I’m in acting classes, French classes. I’m in posture classes,†the singer told us last night at the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Spring Ball at New York’s Pierre Hotel — but her well-documented history of personal drama may turn out to be her best preparation. Simone, who suffered from bipolar disorder, “comes from a very dark place that she could never escape,†Blige explained. “By the grace of God I’ve escaped mine somewhat … but still, a lot of days I have heavy days, so it’s easy to channel those for the part.†The similarities between the High Priestess of Soul and the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul don’t stop there. “The thing about Nina is she didn’t trust people for a very long time, just like me,†Blige continued. “I definitely didn’t trust him†— here she gestured toward her manager-husband, Kendu Isaacs — “from the beginning because I didn’t trust men, period. But I trusted something in me that needed his help and I’ve never seen that in anyone else before. This story was written similar. Our lives are pretty similar.â€