Amy Winehouse’s father wanted George Clooney to play him in upcoming biopic
Mitch Winehouse, the father of the beloved singer Amy Winehouse, has made the amusing admission that he wanted George Clooney to play him in the upcoming biopic about his daughter’s life, Back To Black, rather than the final choice, Eddie Marsan.
The film is being directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and stars Marisa Abela of Industry as Amy, while Jack O’Connell will take on the role of Blake Fielder-Civil, and Lesley Manville will play Amy’s maternal grandmother.
Discussing the casting of the film with The Mail On Sunday, Mitch Winehouse said, “I told my friend that Eddie was playing me, and he said – excuse my French – ‘Eddie fucking Marsan! He’s not very good-looking.’ I said, ‘I know – I wanted George Clooney!’”
Winehouse also admitted that he had requested a number of changes to be made to the script, as he was concerned with his portrayal in the film: “I sent the first script back. It made me look like a saint – like I should be knighted. It was too much.”
Another concern of Winehouse’s was the fact that he believed that Marisa Abela could not sing half as well as she should have been able to if she wanted to play his daughter. He said, “When Marisa started, I said to the producer, ‘But she can’t sing.’ And she replied, ‘She’s having lessons…’ ’ Now, Winehouse has admitted, “she’s a lot better”.
However, Janis Winehouse, Amy’s mother, has complained about how she had been portrayed by Juliet Cowan. “I was horrified,” she said. “I’ve been made to look like a doormat. I’m shown as a feeble, tired woman, slouching on the couch. When Amy was growing up, I was a hard-working, outgoing single mother studying for two university degrees.” Filming for the movie began last month and looks set to be one of the most anticipated music biopics in recent years.
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