Marisa Abela Worried About ‘Torturing’ Herself as Amy Winehouse

“Industry” breakout star Marisa Abela almost turned down playing iconic singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse for biopic “Back to Black.”

Abela revealed in a Harper’s Bazaar UK cover story that she was worried she wouldn’t be “taken seriously” in character as Winehouse if she wasn’t “torturing” herself for the role and going “Method.” Grammy winner Winehouse openly struggled with addiction and died of alcohol poisoning at age 27.

“My first instinct was to say ‘No, that’s too much, too huge,’” Abela said of taking on Winehouse’s legacy. “I thought, maybe I’m not going to be taken seriously if I’m not torturing myself in order to play this part. But I’m not a Method actress. I wasn’t walking around my flat as Amy. The work was enough for me.”

To lead the upcoming film helmed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, Abela went through “Amy bootcamp” which included dieting, working 10 hours a day with a personal trainer, and taking vocal lessons despite not originally supposed to sing in the film. Abela later ended up recording with the star’s original band for the role. Winehouse’s music was licensed for the feature, made with the full support of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Publishing, and The Amy Winehouse Estate. 

“I had no idea how close I could get to singing like Amy. But why not work as hard as I possibly could to do it?” Abela said. “That’s how I felt with everything: her movements; her dancing; her…