Back to Black cast: Meet the stars of Amy Winehouse biopic
The biopic has been praised for strong performances in first reviews.
After landing in cinemas earlier this year, Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black has now landed on Netflix.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film depicts the iconic London singer's rise to fame and struggles with addiction.
Industry star Marisa Abela portrays the singer in the film and, yes, she actually sang.
Speaking about the challenges of nailing such a unique vocal style, the star previously told RadioTimes.com: "I mean, it's an incredibly distinctive sound, so just nailing that sound was the difficult thing.
"Because I think that, you know, one of the incredible things about Amy was that she never performed the same song the same way twice.
"So in those moments that are, you know, specific interviews or specific performances, it kind of has to be right, because that's the only time it ever sounded like that. So that was important to me."
She continued: "But again, it's just another challenge. It's just another, like, way to work.
Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville all play real characters, too, all of whom had a great impact on the singer's life.
But who is who? Read on for everything you need to know about the cast and who they play.
Back to Black cast: Who plays Amy Winehouse?
The full cast list is as follows:
- Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse
- Jack O'Connell as Blake Fielder-Civil
- Eddie Marsan as Mitch Winehouse
- Jeff Tunke as Mark Ronson
- Ryan O'Doherty as Chris Taylor
- Lesley Manville as Cynthia
- Juliet Cowan plays Janis
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast members and who they play.
Marisa Abela plays Amy Winehouse
Who is Amy Winehouse? The iconic songwriter and vocalist. Her blues-inspired songs made a massive mark on the music industry before her career was cut short when she tragically died aged 27 from alcohol poisoning.
What else has Marisa Abela been in? Abela appeared in 2020 thriller series Cobra and interactive feature film Five Dates before landing her big break in BBC drama Industry, in which she played investment banker Yasmin.
Eddie Marsan plays Mitch Winehouse
Who is Mitch Winehouse? Amy's father.
What else has Eddie Marsan been in? Marsan is known for a vast array of films including Mission: Impossible III, Happy-Go-Lucky, Gangster No 1, V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes, War Horse, The World's End, Still Life, and The Exception.
Hr has also appeared in TV shows including Ray Donovan, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Ridley Road, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, and The Power.
Mitch was publicly unhappy with how he was portrayed in Asif Kapadia's 2015 documentary Amy, and subsequently was involved in a 2021 documentary titled Reclaiming Amy.
But speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Marsan explained that those documentaries did not factor into the new film.
"This is not a riposte to the documentary at all – the documentary is its own thing, and it's [Kapadia's] own narrative," he said.
"But one thing I've realised in the making of this film, is that when someone like Amy dies, somebody who's touched our lives in such a profound way, and it's kind of like a member of our family – because we hear her voice every day, when we're driving the kids to school or when we're cooking the Sunday dinner or whatever...
"When someone dies so young and so tragic[ally], there's a collective trauma. And the way we deal with trauma is to make sense of it and to create a comfortable narrative that we can latch on to."
Jack O'Connell plays Blake Fielder-Civil
Who is Blake Fielder-Civil? Amy's ex-husband.
What else has Jack O'Connell been in? O'Connell rose to fame in the E4 teen drama Skins. He went on to star in This Is England, The Runaway, Weekender, The Somnambulists, Tower Block, The Liability, Private Peaceful and 300: Rise of an Empire.
In recent years, he has appeared in Starred U, '71, Money Monster, Unbroken and Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Juliet Cowan plays Janis Winehouse
Who is Janis Winehouse? Amy's grandmother.
What else has Juliet Cowan been in? The actress is best known for appearing in comedies such as Back to Life, Stuck, Fresh Meat and Cuckoo.
Other credits include The Sarah Jane Adventures, Silent Witness and Everything I Know About Love.
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Lesley Manville plays Cynthia Winehouse
Who is Cynthia Winehouse? Amy's grandmother.
What else has Lesley Manville been in? Manville rose to fame starring in Emmerdale.
She is now a five-time BAFTA-nominee and has appeared in films and TV shows including Maleficent, Mr Turner, Phantom Thread, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, Mum, Harlots, Save Me Too, Magpie Murders, Sherwood, Citadel and The Crown.
Ryan O'Doherty plays Chris Taylor
Who is Chris Taylor? Amy's former boyfriend. She allegedly wrote her song Stronger Than Me about her ex-partner.
What else has Ryan O’Doherty been in? Viewers might recognise the actor from his brief appearance in the TV series Loki as well as the short film Little Fantasies.
Read more:
- Eddie Marsan: 'I wouldn't do Back to Black if it sanitised Mitch Winehouse'
- Dev Patel says Monkey Man is "a Trojan horse and a gateway drug"
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Back to Back is now streaming on Netflix – sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
