Eddie Marsan: 'I wouldn't do Back to Black if it sanitised Mitch Winehouse'
Marsan plays Amy Winehouse's father in the new biopic.
New Amy Winehouse biopic film Back to Black is releasing in UK cinemas on Friday 12th April, and it stars Marisa Abela as the iconic singer, while Jack O'Connell plays her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil and Eddie Marsan plays her father Mitch.
Marsan spoke about his role in the film in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, and called Back to Black a "beautiful tribute to Amy".
He continued: "It’s not ghoulish or exploitative. It shows her incredible talent, and that she wasn’t just defined by addiction. Addiction – and the paparazzi – are the villains of the piece. It isn’t Blake [Amy’s husband] or Mitch."
Asked whether it was unfair that some people blamed Mitch for what happened, Marsan said: "I asked a friend of mine, who worked quite closely with Amy, for his assessment of Mitch, and if he agreed with the public narrative that he was, in some way, to blame for Amy’s demise.
"He told me Mitch was just a normal father – a cab driver – dealing with a child with addiction, who was also one of the most famous women in the world. And you couldn’t tell Amy what to do, she was a force of nature. As a father of four teenagers myself, I make mistakes, but I do the best I can. I wouldn’t have done the film if it sanitised Mitch, or demonised him."
Marsan also revealed that he met Mitch "quite a few times" and explained that he once had to sing Fly Me to the Moon, so he asked Mitch to record it for him.
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He continued: "At the end of the song, he [Mitch] said, 'Here you go, love you.' Which is what I say to my kids every time they leave the house.
"Someone once described grief as love with nowhere to go, and when he said that, I realised: this is a man who’s full of love for a daughter who’s not here any more."
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Back to Black has been directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and also stars Juliet Cowan as Amy's mother Janis and Lesley Manville as her grandmother Cynthia.
Back to Back will land in cinemas in UK and Ireland on Friday 12th April 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
