Jack O'Connell has leapt to the defence of his co-star Marisa Abela for her dedication to the role of Amy Winehouse in the upcoming film 'Back To Black'.
At the world premiere in London, O'Connell stated that Marisa knuckled down so hard" because they aimed to go beyond a mere imitation of the iconic singer. The star-studded event at the Odeon Luxe in London's Leicester Square saw the cast, including O'Connell, Abela, and Eddie Marsan, who portrays Winehouse's father, Mitch, come together to celebrate the film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.
The movie delves into the stormy relationship between Winehouse, played by Abela, and Blake Fielder-Civil, portrayed by O'Connell, which fuelled the creation of her Grammy-winning album 'Back To Black'. O'Connell expressed his admiration for Abela's efforts: "I just thought Marisa knuckled down so hard because these are obviously huge boots to step into and no one wanted to do a basic imitation," he said.
He also highlighted the collaborative spirit on set, telling the PA News Agency, "So she worked hard, I worked hard, and made sure that when we were on set, we could just be free, spontaneous, instinctive, and it was just a great environment to work in."
Jack O'Connell has praised his Back To Black co-star Marisa Abela (Getty Images)
Marisa will play the late Amy Winehouse in the movie (Getty Images)Abela, donning black in homage to the film's title, spoke about how she drew inspiration from Winehouse's music, treating it as a "gospel for all of her relationships". She reflected on the depth of emotion in Winehouse's songwriting, pondering, "After a breakup and you go to write songs like Love Is A Losing Game, or Some Unholy War, or Wake Up Alone." She questioned the emotional process behind such powerful lyrics: "What is that feeling to be able to have the emotional intensity to go and write songs like those that are so full of vulnerability and pain, but also emotional intelligence? ".
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"And I think it was just about really writing those things down for me and exploring those feelings and always working backwards ... there was no doubt in my mind that I had to be completely and utterly in love because you can hear it in the music." O'Connell praised Taylor-Johnson for creating a "real safe space to experiment" on set. "It's a great way to work," the 33-year-old added.
Taylor-Johnson revealed that she immersed herself in the music from Winehouse and described the film as a "celebration of the music". "We lived in the same neighbourhood so I had an awareness of her around, seen her at Ronnie Scott's way back in the early days when she was part of the up-and-coming voices of jazz," Taylor-Johnson told PA.
The movie has received mixed reviews from fans of the late music legend (StudiocanalUK)"The music was everything when I was working on the script because we went through all her journals and lyrics and everything to do with music as our path in and that felt like the best way to celebrate her, to bring back her voice, almost gift it back to her for us all to hear within the narrative of her life rather than the sort of overview."
Taylor-Johnson attended the premiere with her husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who recently made headlines as he is reportedly set to be the next actor to play fictional spy James Bond in the film franchise. Winehouse, famed for her chart-topping hits such as Valerie, Rehab and Tears Dry On Their Own, tragically passed away at the age of 27 on July 23 2011 due to alcohol poisoning.
Marsan, 55, shared with PA: "I think Amy in the tradition of great jazz singers, she was going through her own personal problems, her own mental health issues her own trauma, just like Billie Holiday did someone on that vein or Miles Davis, and the music, the jazz was a means by which they could deal with their trauma."
"So it wasn't in order to sell records to you or me, it was a necessity, what they needed to do in order to survive. But because of the authenticity that was involved, it appeals to us."
Back To Black is set to hit UK cinemas on April 12.
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