2024-04-23 07:03:00
Ms. Abela, you are 27 years old, the same age Amy Winehouse was at the time of her death in 2011. What did the singer mean to you before you embodied her yourself?
Abela: I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate Amy’s cultural influence in the UK. And to all generations. For several years she was simply omnipresent, you couldn’t escape her. She was already present in my life with the first album “Frank”. I was only seven years old at the time, but when my dad played Amy’s songs for me, I loved them so much that I wanted to listen to them every day on the way to school. And the songs on “Back to Black” later became the anthems of my teenage years.
Did you really understand what Winehouse was singing about back then?
Abela: No not really. The complexity of her lyrics and the emotional intensity were of course invisible to me, not least because at that age I had experienced practically nothing of what she was singing about. But part of her magic – and of course the skill of her producer Mark Ronson – is that you can listen to this music and her voice without understanding the lyrics – and still be overwhelmed by feelings. What it actually meant for Amy to turn her inner self into songs, and exactly how she did it, were things that I only really understood through working on the role.
The tragedy of her life was transmitted to fans all over the world, regardless of whether they spoke English or not…
Taylor-Johnson: Although tragedy is such a thing. At some point it overshadowed everything in our perception. Correcting that was also a concern for me with this film. I didn’t want to focus on the darkness in her life and Amy’s sad ending, but rather on her music and her incredible talent. After all, it will last forever.
What were your criteria when looking for the right leading actress?
Taylor-Johnson: It wasn’t about finding an impersonator. There are many of them, even some really great ones. But that alone doesn’t make a good film. I wasn’t looking for someone who looked as close to Amy Winehouse as possible, but rather her essence, if you will. Someone who makes you believe what this character is going through on the screen. Someone you willingly follow on this journey. Marisa brought all of this with her, and she completely understood what Amy was all about from the first time we met.
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse and Jack O’Connell as Blake Fielder-Civil, the singer’s former husbanddpa
Did you see yourself in this role straight away, Ms. Abela?
Abela: Me as Amy, that wouldn’t have actually occurred to me. But in the second moment I understood why I was invited to the casting. Nevertheless, I hesitated for a moment as to whether this was a role for me, because at first I didn’t feel like I understood who Amy really was – beyond the image that was conveyed by the media at the time. But that’s exactly what I had to do if I wanted to play her believably. But the more I researched, even before I even auditioned, the more the woman behind the eyeliner and the beehive hairstyle became tangible to me.
Did the challenge ever feel overwhelming, given that there is unlikely to be anyone who doesn’t know Winehouse?
Abela: Sure, how could it not? There were always moments when I worried that all these people who have an image of Amy in their heads might not be happy with what they see on screen.
In addition, you also sing all the songs yourself. Although that wasn’t planned from the start, right?
Taylor-Johnson: I had the rights to all the original recordings, so I wasn’t worried about the vocals at first. Pure playback wouldn’t have been an option, because if someone just moves their lips to a song, you can easily see that they’re not actually singing. But I asked Marisa if she could sing a little and if she would be willing to take a few more lessons so that she could at least sing while filming, even if the original recordings were heard later in the film. The vocal cords have to move, otherwise you’ll never believe that someone is singing.
And then?
Abela: The more progress I made in preparing for singing and voice training, the more the idea came to the fore that I might actually be good enough to use my own voice in the film. It was never about sounding exactly like Amy. That would have been impossible anyway. But we’re using their lyrics and music to tell the story of “Back to Black,” so it would have been half-hearted if I hadn’t committed 100 percent to that side of the role. To truly bring Amy to life on screen, I also had to fully embrace her songs.
Ms. Taylor-Johnson, unlike many other music biopics, Amy Winehouse’s story is not even 20 years old. Did you find it an advantage that you could assume that everyone actually knew your protagonist? Or did it make your task more difficult that the time distance from reality is so small?
Taylor-Johnson: Difficult to answer. In any case, I had the impression that the time was right for this film, even though Amy has only been dead for 13 years. Precisely because every detail of her life was covered by the media at the time and everyone’s opinions and judgments were allowed in view of her death. Because between all these reports and discussions, the exceptional artist, this unique singer and songwriter, somehow almost disappeared. Bringing out that side of Amy was my goal, and I don’t think it’s premature. Even if, of course, it was always clear to me that the shorter a story like this happened, the more sensitivities there were among the fans. The pain is of course still very great for many.
British singer Amy Winehouse during a performance in London in July 2008dpa
You previously reported that you met with Winehouse’s father and others involved in advance out of respect, but the family had no influence on the film…
Taylor-Johnson: Yes, it was important for me to meet Amy’s parents and talk to them about the film. But, as mentioned, we had all the rights to Amy’s music, so the family couldn’t have put any obstacles in our way if they didn’t like something. I didn’t need her blessing.
Abela: For me, of course, meeting Amy’s family and other people who knew her was important for another reason. I met everyone who was willing, because every detail, every anecdote helped me to form an even more complex picture of Amy. Of course, I always had to be aware that everyone could only present me with their very subjective view of them and that none of it was the ultimate truth. I still found every little memory that was shared with me exciting.
Finally, let us return to the tragedy of Amy Winehouse. Where would you say this darkness that you had within you came from?
Taylor-Johnson: Well, good question. When you look at her lyrics, you quickly understand how deeply she felt every single one of her emotions. Her emotional sensitivity ran deeper than most other people. Her emotional heights were particularly high, her love was always particularly intense, her happiness extra-euphoric. But on the contrary, she also felt pain and loneliness much more strongly. Of course, as an artist, this intensity can be a blessing. But as a person she is probably difficult to bear.
Abela: In addition, her mental health was not in the best place even at a young age. It’s no secret that she suffered from eating disorders and depression. That’s why I would disagree with anyone who says that Amy consciously sought out tragedy or needed pain to make good music. Their first album “Frank” is the best proof of this, we hear a lot more joy and humor there than later on “Back to Black”. But yeah, overall, her emotions were probably just really a bottomless pit, for better or for worse. The fame that then robbed her of all privacy certainly didn’t help.
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