welcom to America today with a new article about ‘Back to Black’: Marisa Abela suits up to uncannily portray Amy Winehouse in 2024 movie
Filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson was eager to cast British actress Marisa Abela as ill-fated singer Amy Winehouse in her biopic “Back to Black”.
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate who played Yasmin in HBO’s “Industry” and Teen Talk Barbie in “Barbie” listened to Winehouse’s hits as a preteen, but dove in when she landed this role, moving to Camden, Winehouse’s home turf, and frequenting her old nightlife haunts.
After a stint in rehab during a jail sentence, Fielder-Civil broke off with Winehouse and had a baby with another woman, just as his ex was also finally sober and now world-famous thanks to “Rehab,” the ironic global hit off “Back to Black.” Emotionally undone by his new life, Winehouse spiraled again.
While plenty of media accounts and a thorough Winehouse documentary paint Fielder-Civil and Amy’s cab-driving father Mitch as toxic forces, Taylor-Johnson decided to view both differently.
As for Mitch Winehouse, there is a scene in the movie where, after taking over Amy’s career, he is implored by family members to get his daughter into rehab.
“Do you turn a blind eye, hoping that by performing, Amy rediscovers her love of life? Or do you intervene? It is complicated. It’s easy to just say, ‘Who’s to blame?'” Taylor-Johnson says that while Winehouse’s parents haven’t told her what they think of her film, they have requested numerous screenings for family and friends.
Amy Winehouse put out her first album at 20 and had a Grammy-winning hit record a few years later with “Back to Black,” also the name of a new biopic about the singer’s tragic life.