Who is Marisa Abela, the actress who plays Amy Winehouse in the biopic?

Almost thirteen years after her premature death, Amy Winehouse's aura is far from having weakened. It's no surprise that this British music icon, who tragically died at the age of 27 at the height of her fame, is getting a film. Back to black was released in cinemas on April 24, 2024. Film buffs and fans of the singer were able to discover in the lead role an actress little known to the public who took on the difficult challenge of embodying the soul star on the big screen.

Like Amy Winehouse at the time of her death, Marisa Abela was 27 years old at the time of the film's release. This British actress, little known in France, was born in 1996 in Brighton, England. While she initially intended to become a lawyer specializing in human rights, she ultimately turned to the dramatic arts and graduated from the Royal Academy in 2019. On television, series fans were able to to be seen in political fiction Cobra before she starred in one of the first roles in the acclaimed series Industry since 2020. For those in the know, she plays Yasmin Kara-Hanani in 12 episodes.

Back to Black This is not, however, her first foray into cinema, since she has already appeared in feature films. In her filmography, we find her in Rogue Agent et She is Loveboth released in 2022, but especially in Barbie by Greta Gerwig. She plays a small role, that of a doll nicknamed “I speak to you”. She will also be appearing in Steven Soderbergh's next film, Black Bagin 2025.

An acclaimed performance

If Marisa Abela was not yet very well known when the film was released, there is no doubt that Back to Black could propel her to the forefront of Hollywood. The film divided critics, but its performance as Amy Winehouse was acclaimed by the press. If she does not resemble the singer from a physical point of view, franceinfo believes that she “breaks the screen” in the role. According to Première, she is “perfect”.

It must be said that the actress gives herself body and soul to this interpretation, since she moved to Camden for the role (a district of London in which the singer lived), lost weight, but, and this is the most impressive , learned to sing for the film. It is she who provides voice on the scores of “Back to Black” and “Rehab” in the film, a stunning performance for the actress who trained with a coach to adopt the gravelly voice so particular of the singer.

Synopsis – Back to Black traces the life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the creation of one of the most iconic albums of our time, inspired by her passionate and tormented love story with Blake Fielder-Civil.