With the recent news that the long-awaited Amy Winehouse biopic is going ahead and will be directed by ‘Nowhere Boy’ and ‘50 Shades of Grey’ director Sam Taylor-Johnson, speculation has begun to mount over who might take on the role of the ‘Rehab’ singer.
Will it be an unknown? It’s quite likely, considering how Baz Luhrmann went down that path with his recent Elvis biopic, casting Austin Butler in the role of The King.
Then again, it may well be someone who is already in the public eye.
Just for a bit of fun, we’ve thrown out ten names who might be suitable to play the iconic Londoner.
LADY GAGA
It’s perhaps the most obvious choice, and Lady Gaga has already proven her acting chops with roles in the likes of ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘A Star is Born’. Clearly, she has the voice and she even bears a slight physical resemblance to Winehouse. Even Amy’s dad Mitch Winehouse is on record as saying he thinks Gaga would be perfect for the role. Watch this space…
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LAUREN JAUREGUI
She’s not a particularly well-known name in this part of the world, but if you ask Twitter who they think could play Winehouse, Lauren Jauregui of US girl group Fifth Harmony usually comes up trumps. She bears a remarkable resemblance, true, and has even appeared as Winehouse on ‘Lip Sync Battle’. The biggest question is, however, can she act?
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NOAH CYRUS
Miley’s little sis has forged her own career in music over the last five years or so, and has even had small acting roles in the likes of ‘Hannah Montana: The Movie’. She could pull off the physical aspect for sure, but is pretty inexperienced in acting, however. And at 22, is she still too young to take on a potentially weighty role as her first big acting job?
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TANIA RAYMONDE
You’ll know Tania Raymonde if you’re a fan of ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ (she played Cynthia Sanders) or legal drama ‘Goliath’ on Amazon. There’s no question that the 34-year-old could pull off Winehouse when it comes to her appearance - but can she sing? And if not, would that be a huge problem? As long as she can lip sync…
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RILEY KEOUGH
Here’s an actress with musical chops (although admittedly unproven) that could do the job. Okay, so Riley Keough may not be the spit of Amy Winehouse - but she is Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, after all. Surely that counts for something?! The 33-year-old has appeared in music videos by Orville Peck and Justin Timberlake, but we haven’t heard her own voice. Once again, however, would that be a problem?
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CAMILA CABELLO
The young pop star’s ascent in recent years has been pretty impressive - from languishing in Fifth Harmony to solo star in a relatively short space of time. Still only 25, she has conquered both sides of the Atlantic in the same way as Winehouse - but she hasn’t experienced the Londoner’s complicated personal life. We’re assuming that that will be a major thread of the biopic, so is Cabello just too wholesome for such a role - if she can even act, that is?
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DUA LIPA
Let’s be honest: we have no idea whether Dua Lipa can act. And this biopic, it’s safe to say, is going to need a strong actress in that lead role to carry a story like Winehouse’s. But we could easily imagine Lipa pulling off the musical aspect of things, as well as the physical. It’s a possibility, surely?
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DEMI LOVATO
Now, here is someone who knows all about pain and addiction. Demi Lovato is both an experienced actor and a pop superstar, but they (Lovato came out as non-binary last year) have been through the mill with problems regarding drugs and mental health issues, just as Winehouse was. With some clever hair and make-up alterations, she could easily be a striking Winehouse.
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LILY COLLINS
At last, an actress that could play Winehouse without having to worry about getting the accent wrong. Okay, so Lily Collins was raised in Los Angeles, but with British family, surely she could pull off a London accent with aplomb? Her dark features would also easily lend themselves to a Winehouse transformation, and she has the musical chops, too - her dad is, of course, Phil Collins. She has even sung in a movie before (‘Mirror Mirror’). It could happen…
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FLORENCE PUGH
Okay, so Florence Pugh might need a talented make-up and hair team to pull off someone as distinctive-looking as Amy Winehouse - but she certainly has the DGAF attitude required of such a role. She’s English and is a big music fan; she even appeared on a single by English musician Toby Sebastian last year. Don’t rule her out, is all we’re saying.
