Fans Want Someone Else to Portray the Late Amy Winehouse in ‘Back To Black’

When any actor or actress is tasked with portraying a name as big—if not bigger than the late Amy Winehouse—it can only be left up to the imagination how much of a responsibility it leaves to their performance.

After Winehouse died at 27-years-old in 2011, the Rehab singer has been the inspiration behind three documentaries about the inside look at her life and the artistic process of making her albums. Asif Kapadia’s Amy (2015), Jeremy Marre’s Amy Winehouse: Back to Black (2018), and the most recent, Marina Parker’s Reclaiming Amy (2021), are the three documentaries that cover Amy’s colorful being and music journey.

The six-time Grammy winner’s upcoming new biopic film, Back to Black, a tribute to Winehouse’s second studio album, is set to hit theatres on May 10. Back to Black will highlight the rapid rise and downfall of her career. A two-minute trailer released on February 2 reveals the cast of the anticipated film. Marisa Abela, 27, delivers a heart-rending performance in the trailer, but her efforts for the role might not have translated well to the fans. 

Abela, who has starred in the series Industry since 2020, is not new to the industry. However, she’s receiving constant backlash for her portrayal of the You Know I’m No Good songstress. Critics have taken to the internet to express their distaste for a glimpse into the new biopic after a teaser clip circulating on TikTok showed Amy (Abela) in the studio recording her 2003 song Stronger Than Me.

Later in the snippet, Amy performs it on stage. Some social media users have suggested that the lead role would be better suited to international superstar Lady Gaga, Call on Me singer Raye, or Fifth Harmony’s own Lauren Jauregui.

“Why didn’t they just ask Raye,” one Winehouse fan commented under a TikTok post that shared the Back to Black teaser.

“Please Raye come and save this film,” another begged.

“Raye, Lady Gaga, Lauren Jauregui???,” another asked.

“Lady Gaga would’ve been amazing in this,” someone else suggested.

Fans’ criticism ranged from the cast’s performance to the budget and the director in charge, Sam Taylor-Johnson! One user compared the biopic to the comedy sketch show, Saturday Night Live, expressing, “It feels like an out-of-touch SNL skit.”

“No, because the expressions are soooooo SNL,” a second person agreed.

Another user wrote, “They disrespected Amy, because what is this?” While the third user said, “What was the budget?” 

Many fans expected more from the award-winning director Taylor-Johnson, while others didn’t. Taylor-Johnson is best known for directing Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). One user wrote online, “We can’t expect more from a Sam Taylor-Johnson movie.” Another said, “It’s bad, but it’s not bad,” and “When I saw it was a film by Sam Taylor-Johnson, I was like, oh…that makes sense.”

Although there were many who seemed to be dissatisfied with Abela’s previewed performance, there were some who defended it.

“It’s actually good like what y’all seeing,” one TikTok user complimented.

“Okay, be honest. It sounds nice, you guys,” a second fan lauded.

“It’s actually quite good,” another noted.

The internet might not be taking well to the shared snippet, but it was only a sneak peek. There’s still time for minds to be changed. The entire body of work will be shown soon enough and fans can then make their final decision about Back to Black.