Meet the actress stepping into Amy Winehouse's shoes

To play the British soul singer, a relative unknown was cast, Marisa Abela, who committed herself to capturing the full complexity of a talented, tragic life.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  Entertainment May 16, 2024 She didn't know there was an Amy Winehouse inside of her. Then the voice came out To play the British soul singer, a relative unknown was cast, Marisa Abela, who committed herself to capturing the full complexity of a talented, tragic life. SHARE       READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT Ben Gibbard on that glow-up of a haircut and his love-hate relationship with L.A. Ahead of dual performances at Saturday's Just Like Heaven festival, Ben Gibbard talks about his overlapping careers with the Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie. SHARE       READ MORE New York's studio building boom poses threat to L.A.'s Hollywood production New York is doubling down on film and TV to compete with its main rival, L.A., for a bigger slice of the Hollywood pie — even as the industry is struggling to rebound. SHARE       READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT After 34 years, David Hockney's magnificent 'Turandot' sets get resurrected in L.A. A three-decades-old design by David Hockney has been taken out of storage in Modesto, trucked south and reassembled for L.A. Opera's "Turandot" opening this week. SHARE       READ MORE 20 new books you need to read this summer Here are 20 upcoming books — publishing between late May and August — that we recommend to kick off the summer reading season. SHARE       READ MORE East West Players appoints Lily Tung Crystal as its new artistic director East West Players' new artistic director is Lily Tung Crystal, who currently leads Theater Mu, the largest Asian American theater company in the Midwest. She co-founded Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company in the Bay Area. SHARE       READ MORE Commentary: 'X-Men '97' challenges us to think about our capacity for tolerance The "X-Men '97" finale makes us think about whether Professor Xavier or Magneto is right about humanity's capacity for tolerance and acceptance. SHARE       READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT Thank you for reading the Los Angeles Times Entertainment newsletter. Invite your friends, relatives, coworkers to sign up here. Not a subscriber? Get unlimited digital access to latimes‌.com. Subscribe here. Copyright © 2024, Los Angeles Times 2300 E. Imperial Highway El Segundo, CA 90245 1-800-LA-TIMES | latimes.com Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in placing an ad or classified, get in touch here. You received this email because you opted to receive email communications from Los Angeles Times. Manage marketing email preferences • Manage email alert subscriptions or unsubscribe • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Do Not Sell My Personal Information • CA Notice of Collection FOLLOW