With the upcoming film Back to Black premiering, Sara Green walks us through the transformation of Marisa Abela to Amy Winehouse in a respectful manner.
Back to Black is an upcoming biopic of the legendary singer Amy Winehouse, who has impacted the world of music, with Marisa Abela will be starring in the iconic role. In an interview with Variety, Sara Green, choreographer and movement couch, explained how they wanted to achieve the right representation of Amy Winehouse without being seen as a regular tribute.
To help Marisa Abela embody the role of Amy Winehouse, Sara Green mentioned how it was quite daunting to do. Hours of hard work and research were essential as Abela and Green met up in a north London studio four times a week for more than three months before the filming began in January 2023. Rather than mimicking the late singer, it was important they truly learn about who Amy Winehouse was.
To obtain the goal, the two would dove deep into everything about Winehouse, such as exploring everything that has influenced her, her hang-out spots, what she is into, what she ate or didn’t eat, and what she wears. “It was a bit like being a detective. You’re investigating somebody and piecing together why they did the things they did and why they moved the way they did.”, said Sara Green.
Amy Winehouse’s career ended shortly after dying of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in 2011, but she left a big impact with her stage presence and style becoming almost recognizable as her voice. The biopic covers her rise from a talented pub singer to debuting her album titled Frank to global recognition and a grammy-winning artist with the success of Back to Black.
Green goes in depth about Winehouse’s struggle with losing weight but had to hold herself with a huge amount of strength as she rose to fame. From wearing ballet bumps to high heels, she had to pull everything together into the center of the body to keep her balanced. Amy’s difficulties are much more focused in the second half of Back to Black film, with Winehouse’s struggles being a successful recording star and celebrity.
To portray the sensitive issue, Green and Abela chose to concentrate on the small things as the only villain in the film is her addiction. Despite the struggles, Amy was still powerful as she knew what she wanted, and she went after it.
Back to Black will premiere on May 17, 2024, for the US audience. The film first premiered in Australia on April 11, 2024, and is released today for the United Kingdom audience.
