How Marisa Abela Trained to Sing Like Amy Winehouse (Exclusive)

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson and star Marisa Abela sat down with “Extra’s” Terri Seymour to talk “Back to Black,” which takes on Amy Winehouse’s rise to fame, addiction struggles, and troubled marriage.

Sam talked about how the film showcases Winehouse’s brilliant talent while also touching on her struggles.

The director explained, “She was a complex person and… she battled with her demons very publicly, so it was finding that sort of balance, really, of celebrating her, but also, you know, admitting to the complexities of what she struggled with.”

Marisa opened up about how she immersed herself in Amy’s soul, saying, “If you think too much about, like, the weight of that responsibility, it just gets on top of you. But the most important thing is just to do as much work as we possibly can and really fall head over heels into immersing yourself in Amy’s world and in Amy’s soul.”

She also described her singing lessons, sharing, “I would start my singing lessons sort of learning Amy’s technique but singing it through the people that would have influenced Amy, like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. I think my singing teacher wanted me to have the freedom to use her voice with the people that she would have grown up singing, you know, and then we stepped into Amy’s voice and Amy’s world and the songs that she wrote herself.”

We also had to ask Sam about the James Bond rumors swirling around her husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson!

Smiling, she said, “It is not for me to talk about here or now,” adding, “If he has an announcement, I’m sure he would love to make it.”