Sam Taylor-Johnson confirms Amy Winehouse’s family “couldn’t change” ‘Back to Black’
Back to Black director Sam Taylor-Johnson has confirmed Amy Winehouse‘s family didn’t have the power to overrule her on the upcoming biopic.
The forthcoming film, which is set to arrive in cinemas on April 12th, has been given support by Winehouse’s estate, who granted permission for Taylor-Johnson to use the late singer-songwriter’s back catalogue. However, the British director has denied Winehouse’s parents had a say in the creative direction of Back to Black.
In Back to Black, Marisa Abela portrays Winehouse and Jack O’Connell plays her love interest, Blake Fielder-Civil. Meanwhile, Eddie Marsan is cast as her father, Mitch, and Juliet Cowan plays her mother, Janis.
During a new interview with Empire, Taylor-Johnson said: “It was important to meet with them out of respect. But they have no involvement in terms of… like, they couldn’t change things. They couldn’t dictate how I was to shoot. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done it.”
When asked specifically about Mitch, Taylor-Johnson replied: “I know he saw the film. I wasn’t there. I haven’t spoken to him. I think he keeps his feelings pretty much to himself. The important thing for me was not to have any of that noise in my sphere while making the film.”
She added: “And I didn’t need the family’s approval. All the music rights were approved by Universal and Sony. So what I wanted as much as possible was the truth of Amy, and Amy’s relationship was that she loved her dad, whether we think he did right or wrong.”
Additionally, screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, who previously worked with Taylor-Johnson on Nowhere Boy, chose not to meet the family. He explained: “If I wanted Mitch’s opinion, it was all pretty much laid out in [his] book. It’s the same with [mother] Janis. I don’t think I could have got anything more by meeting.”
Taylor-Johnson recently confirmed Abela would sing “from beginning to end” in Back to Black, despite having no formal vocal training before being cast as Winehouse. Music will also be provided by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, who have scored the project.
Watch the trailer for Back to Black below.
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