Marisa Abela Trained ‘Like an Athlete’ to Become Amy Winehouse

Carita Rizzo
·3 min read
1
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in 'Back to Black' - Credit: Focus Features
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in 'Back to Black' - Credit: Focus Features

One does not simply wake up one morning and embody Amy Winehouse. According to vocal coach Anne-Marie Speed, Back to Black star Marisa Abela trained “like an athlete”” to transform into the “Valerie” singer.

In an interview with The Guardian, Speed opened up about the process of preparing Abela to play the lead in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming biopic. The two worked together between September 2022 and January 2023, when shooting started for the film.

More from Rolling Stone

In those months, Abela had to learn to sing, play the guitar, master Winehouse’s accent and generally get in shape for the role. “It’s full-time preparation, it’s like an athlete,” said Speed. “People really underestimate how physical voice production can be. They don’t see it, but it really is. You’ve got to get the body working in the right way to truly support what’s happening and to produce the voice.”

Getting Abela’s voice to match one of the most instantly recognizable, soulful voices of the modern era was a challenge. “You want [the vocal performance] to be very close, but not an impression. Because otherwise, you might as well just mime to her recordings,” said Speed. “I was seeing her [Abela] four times a week for two-hour sessions for about three months before we started shooting. So it’s a big, big commitment.”

The first teaser trailer for the much anticipated biopic Back to Black was recently released by Canal Plus. The clip showcases Industry actress Marisa Abela as Winehouse, who intones, “I want to be remembered for just being me.”

The trailer also offers glimpses of Jack O’Connell as Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, and Lesley Manville, who plays Winehouse’s grandmother, Cynthia Winehouse. It’s soundtracked by Winehouse’s 2006 song “Back to Black.”

In addition to being directed by Taylor-Johnson, Back to Black is written by Matt Greenhalgh. It also stars Eddie Marsan as Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, and Juliet Cowan as Winehouse’s mother, Janis Winehouse-Collins. It was made with support from the Amy Winehouse Estate, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Publishing.

Winehouse, who died in 2011 following years of drug and alcohol problems, has previously been the subject of several documentaries. In 2015, Amy won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Taylor-Johnson previously said she has felt a longtime relationship to the story.

“My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden,” Taylor-Johnson said in a statement last year. “I got a job at the legendary KOKO club, and I can still breathe every market stall, vintage shop, and street… A few years later Amy wrote her searingly honest songs whilst living in Camden. Like with me, it became part of her DNA. I first saw her perform at a talent show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho and it was immediately obvious she wasn’t just ’talent’… she was genius.”

When the film was first announced in 2018, it was reported that proceeds from the biopic would benefit the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, shared a statement at the time confirming her family and estate’s support. “We now feel able to celebrate Amy’s extraordinary life and talent,” he said. “And we know through the Amy Winehouse Foundation that the true story of her illness can help so many others who might be experiencing similar issues.”

Back to Black will be released in the U.S. in theaters on May 10 via Focus Features.

Best of Rolling Stone