BACK STORY
Who is Back To Black star Marisa Abela and what else has the Amy Winehouse actress been in?
Find out if Marisa actually sings in the Winehouse biopic
SINCE shooting to fame in the BBC's raunchy drama Industry, Marisa Abela has seen the jobs pour in.
Now she taking on the role of her life as troubled singer Amy Winehouse in big screen biopic Back To Black.
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Who is Marisa Abela?
Marisa Abela is an actress known for her work both on the big and small screen.
Before finding fame she was set on becoming a human rights lawyer, and accepted a place at University College London to study history.
But due to her family being the entertainment industry, she found herself following that path too.
Speaking to , she said: “I think I rebelled against it because I could see it took a lot of gumption . . . and it scared me quite a bit.”
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Having starred on stage at school as Juliet in Romeo And Juliet, Marisa went on to graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
The school counts Ralph Fiennes and Phoebe Waller-Bridge among its former students.
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What nationality is Marisa Abela?
Marisa is a British actress who was born in Brighton on December 7, 1996.
Her mum is actress Caroline Gruber and her dad, Angelo Abela, a movie director and producer.
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She grew up in the village of Rottingdean, which is just outside Brighton city centre.
What is Marisa Abela known for?
Marisa shot to fame as posh and seductive investment banker Yasmin in sex-fuelled BBC drama Industry.
Back To Black International Teaser Trailer
However, she is now set play the late singer Amy Winehouse in biopic Back To Black.
Marisa confirmed the news of the role, which had been linked with Lady Gaga, with an Instagram post in which she proudly wore a gold necklace with the words “Amy Jade” — the singer’s first two names.
She captioned the shot: “And for London. This is for London. Cause Camden Town ain’t burnin’ down.”
The quote was a reference from Amy’s 2008 Grammy acceptance speech after winning Record of the Year thanks to her hit Rehab
Directed by Fifty Shades Of Grey’s Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film portrays the troubled star's rise to fame and her subsequent death in 2011.
Production for the film began on January 16, 2023, with Marisa spotted filming scenes dressed as Amy, complete with beehive and heavy eye make-up.
What else has Marisa Abela starred in?
After graduating from RADA, Marisa made her television debut in 2020 in the Sky One's political thriller Cobra.
This was followed by office drama Industry in 2021.
On the big screen she appeared in She Is Love, and Rogue Agent.
Marisa also starred in the smash hit Barbie movie, where she played Teen Talk Barbie.
Does Marisa Abela sing in Back to Black?
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson revealed that Marisa has provided all of the vocals for Back To Black, rather than lip-syncing to Amy's voice.
Speaking to , she said: “When we first talked about it, my first question to (Marisa) was, ‘Can you sing?’ And she said, ‘I can’t'.
“I was thinking, maybe we’ll use Amy’s voice throughout, and we’ll do it that way.
"She then went off after that audition – irrespective of whether she knew she’d got the part – and started training her voice.”
Following a test recording, it was then agreed that Marisa had the right singing ability to sing the songs herself.
I live above a florist, who overheard me singing, and she gave me a big round of applause and a bunch of flowers as if I were an opera star.
Marisa Abela
When Amy released her famous 2008 Back To Black album, Marisa was just nine years old.
The actress talked about how the singer had inspired her: "I grew up hearing her music.
"I was very young when the songs came out, so I don’t think I realised then how much of an amazing poet she was.”
Speaking about showing off her vocal talents in the movie Back to Black, Marisa told : “I’m quite shy but I sing constantly at home.
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"I live above a florist, who overheard me singing, and she gave me a big round of applause and a bunch of flowers as if I were an opera star.”
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Back to Black movie timeline
Here's what we know so far about the Amy Winehouse biopic:
- The filming for Back to Black starts in January 2024.
- The film is being directed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson's wife Sam.
- The synopsis for the film: "Singer Amy Winehouse's tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil inspires her to write and record the ground breaking album Back to Black."
- The first trailer for first movie is released in February 2024.
- Back to Black hits UK cinemas on April 12, 2044.
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