Star-spotter is on the hunt for a wannabe Winehouse
AMY WINEHOUSE is to be the subject of a major movie biopic — with the blessing of her family, who have given film-makers permission to use her music.
The late singer’s parents Mitch and Janis were horrified by a 2015 documentary about the singer, called simply Amy. They later released their own TV programme, Reclaiming Amy, featuring home movie footage and their recollections of their daughter. That BBC2 show went out in 2021, on the tenth anniversary of her death.
Now, leading British casting director Nina Gold is seeking an actress who can do justice to the singer in a featurelength film. Her choice will be ratified by the family, who are involved in every aspect of the process. A source said: ‘Nina’s been searching in theatre schools and drama groups, looking for someone around 20 years old who will be made into a star.’
Gold will need to find someone who can not only portray Amy’s tumultuous years of eating disorders and drug addiction believably on the big screen, but also sing.
Winehouse became a global star with the release of her second album, Back To Black, in 2006, and won five awards at the Grammys in 2008. Hailed by many as the most extraordinary vocal talent of her generation, she died in July 2011, at the age of 27, of alcohol poisoning.
Gold has plenty of experience in unearthing raw talent. She propelled little-known actress Daisy Ridley to stardom as Rey in the Star Wars films and also discovered Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner for Game Of Thrones.
Gold, who also cast Colin Firth as King George VI in The King’s Speech, explained that finding the right person to portray a real figure can be challenging. ‘You do need to make a decent stab at making them a bit similar to the real person,’ she said. ‘It can be quite a lot to do with capturing the essence rather than a lookalike approach.
‘Colin Firth looks nothing like the real Bertie and is much taller and was older than he was supposed to be. But he was so brilliant that one doesn’t even think about that, and he certainly made the role his own.’