Cilla was my nemesis, and film will tell our tale
Singer Dionne Warwick accuses Liverpudlian rival of stealing music in biopic ‘starring Lady Gaga’
TO HER fans, she was a pop singer, presenter and – in her latter years – something of a national treasure.
Cilla Black’s list of notable achievements can now include one other title: Dionne Warwick’s “nemesis”.
A 50-year-old feud between the two singers is to be laid bare in a scandalous new biopic, after Warwick accused the late British star of stealing her music.
In one of the most unlikely castings in the history of film, the American singer Lady Gaga was yesterday announced as playing the role of Cilla. But as news of the film broke, Gaga’s publicist moved to distance her from the project, saying she was “not attached”.
In a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, Warwick said the authorised biopic, set in the Sixties, would show the world the origins of her feud with the British singer.
She went on to accuse her one-time rival of outright musical theft, following a 1964 spat over the single Anyone
Who Had A Heart. Warwick recorded the song, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, but Cilla’s cover version eclipsed it in the UK charts.
Neither Cilla herself nor her family had been aware the biopic was in development, she added, despite the two being on better terms in later life.
In a tactful statement issued yesterday, Cilla’s three sons Robert, Ben and Jack, hailed the casting choice, saying: “We think Lady Gaga is fabulous! She’s a great actress and we really look forward to seeing her portrayal.”
They did not comment on Warwick’s accusations. Fans reacted with incredulity online, with some saying Cilla would be “turning in her grave”. One added: “Prepare for riots across Middle England.”
The film will be based on Warwick’s autobiography, My Life As I See It, with LeToya Luckett, formerly of Destiny’s Child, playing the singer herself, and Danny Glover taking the role of her manager. Warwick, 75, said: “It will show who she [Cilla] was, what part she played in my career, and why she became my nemesis.” She stressed Cilla would not be portrayed as a “villainess”.
“Over the years, of course, we understood each other, and laughed at whatever it was we had decided was a big deal. It all got cleared up in the end,” she added. “So this isn’t to say she’s going to be an absolute villain.”
She told journalists Lady Gaga had been an “easy choice” for the role. But Gaga’s publicist later released a statement saying: “Lady Gaga is not attached and will not appear in this project.”
A spokesman for the biopic did not respond to a request for clarification.
Warwick will be an executive producer for the film, which will begin production later this year. She hinted that the plot would also reveal details of her romantic life, and may include an appearance from The Beatles.
She has previously spoken about the rivalry. In 2012, she told The Telegraph: “As time has progressed, I realise I should have been angry with … whoever put [Cilla] in a position where she had to try to sing what I sang.”