Back To Black with Marisa Abela & Sam Taylor-Johnson

In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, join the conversation with Kyle McMahon as we unravel the emotional and artistic journey behind the Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black, with guests Marisa Abela and director Sam Taylor-Johnson. Step into the psyche of a music icon as Marisa reveals how she transcended beyond mere impersonation to capture the very soul of Amy Winehouse. With a focus on authenticity, she brings to life Amy's essence, while Sam discusses the weighty task of presenting Amy's multifaceted story through a lens of compassion and without judgment. This episode promises a heartfelt exploration of the creative processes that pay tribute to Winehouse's musical brilliance and the humanity of her narrative.


Witness a heartfelt dialogue that not only delves into the making of Back to Black but also celebrates the legacy of Amy Winehouse. From the rigor of preparation to the responsibility of representation, Marissa and Sam share their unique perspectives on storytelling and the inner workings of a film that seeks to resonate with the spirit of its subject. For fans of poignant dramas, transformative performances, and the enigmatic talent of Amy Winehouse, this episode offers an intimate look behind the scenes and is a testament to the potency of her enduring influence in music and beyond.

Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the Amy Winehouse biopick
Back to Black. I'd talk withMarissa Abella and Sam Taylor Johnson. Let's
go Welcome to pop Culture Weekly withKyle McMahon from my Heart Radio, your
pop culture news, views, reviews, and celebrity interviews on Fall, the
Movies, TV music, and PompCulture U Crab Weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon.

(00:27):
Nana no no, no no,Hello, and welcome the pop Culture
Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I ofcourse am Kyle McMahon, and I am
so hyped that you are hanging outwith me for another episode of the show.
Today is all about the Amy Winehousebiopick Back to Black, which you've

(00:49):
got to see. It's in theatersnow. If you're a fan of you
know, biopicks or Amy Whitehouse oryou know compelling dramas. It really is
is a great film. They youcan see my full review up on popcultureweekly
dot com and I go into depth, in depth on you know, the

(01:10):
film and the performances are absolutely incredibleand Marissa does all of her own singing,
which is a big task when you'reyou know, emulating a iconic voice.
Like Amy Winehouse. So let's getright into it. I talk with
Marissa Abbeyo, who plays Amy Winehouse, and Sam Taylor Johnson, who directs

(01:34):
it. Here we go. Hey, thank you both for speaking with me.
I really appreciate it. I loveBack to Black. It's an amazing
film. Thank you, of course. So this question is for both of
you. But Marissa, I'll startwith you. Do you feel that there
is a responsibility or pressure or somethinglike that when you're portraying, you know,

(01:57):
a person who has lived you know, yeah, I mean definitely,
you know, there's definitely, Imean there's definitely a responsibility. I feel
that the biggest responsibility you have isto the person that you're playing, and
to play them authentically and with ahell of a lot of you know,

(02:17):
awareness, And I think that thatcomes from preparation. I think that you
have to work as hard as youcan to get inside them, inside their
skin. I think with someone likeAmy particularly, there's a lot of from
the outside in with her. Youknow, we've seen her story play out,

(02:38):
but we've seen it play out sortof from a more sort of voyeuristic
point of view. So to bethe person that's inside her, I felt
it was important that I was reallyinhabiting her soul, you know that.
Of course, the mannerisms are important, and the voice and the physicality and
all of those things are necessary forit to be a recognizable performance as Amy

(03:01):
Winehouse. But most importantly, Iwanted there to be just the feeling of
Amy, the essence of Amy justbeing overpowering in this movie, because it
was her soul as well as herartistry that was what everyone made everyone fall
in love with her in the firstplace. I love that, Thank you,

(03:23):
and Sam similarly for you, althoughyou know you obviously did Nowhere a
Boy, which which has a bitof that element to it obviously, but
how about for you in general?With that, Yeah, I mean I
think that there's an enormous responsibility andI really felt it with this particularly.
I mean I felt it with youknow, Noah Boy and John Lennon,

(03:44):
but with this it just felt verydifferent, and I felt like one of
the most important things for me wasto come to it with no judgment,
you know, to sort of justcome to it with absolute humanity and the
hope that people would also respond tothat in a way and look at her
life as complex as not just youknow, a victim of her tragedy,

(04:04):
but you know, look at thecreative soul of who she was and just
to really celebrate the music again andto sort of keep everyone you know,
on on track with the music andthat be the sort of north star of
who she was. I love that. Thank you both so much. That's
my time. I really appreciate it. I can't wait for everybody to see

(04:25):
back to play Me too. Thankyou bye, Marissa Bella and Sam Taylor
Johnson. I love their insight intothe filming of this movie. It's got
to be really tough, I wouldthink when you're doing a biopic, especially
one where you know that person livedrecently, you know. I mean I

(04:47):
always wondered about that. If theperson is still with us, or you
know, it's been relatively recent,is there extra pressure or you know,
is it easier if you're playing likesome historic figure that none of us were
around for from a thousand years agoor one hundred years ago or whatever.
Is that easier? You know?So it always intrigues me. Back to

(05:09):
Black is in theaters right now.I do recommend to watch. It's a
great film, and like I said, the performances are incredible. Both the
acting performances and the musical performances.So huge props to the cast and crew
of Back to Black for making thathappen. That's got to be a huge

(05:32):
undertaking, especially with you know,somebody with that iconic voice like like Amy
Winehouse. So that is our showfor this week. Let me know what
you think. Hit me up onsocials or if you're on the iHeartRadio app,
use that talkback button and I mightjust feature you on an episode of
pop Culture Weekly. Make sure tohit the reviews podcast dot popculturewekly dot com.

(05:58):
We'll give you all of the infothat you need on the show and
the guests and all of that stuff, and I will see you next week.
I love you, We thank youfor listening to pop Culture Weekly.
Here all the latest at popculturewekly dotcom and I go back to Blease