Intense gym sessions, consulting nutritionists and multiple coaches tweaking every aspect of your performance might sound like the life of a professional endurance athlete but increasingly the same demands are being made of actors – especially those trying to transform into well-known singers.
Anne-Marie Speed, known for her training of actors in popular musicals like Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, was also a coach for the cast of Danny Boyle’s Sex Pistols TV show. She was part of a team of coaches who helped Marisa Abela, star of the show Industry, prepare for her role as the lead in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming Amy Winehouse film, Back to Black.
From September 2022 to January 2023, the duo collaborated on the biopic’s production, which features Lesley Manville as Winehouse’s grandmother Cynthia and Jack O’Connell as her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
Abela had to start from the beginning and receive instruction from Speed and an accent coach in order to learn how to sing. She also took guitar lessons and followed an exercise routine to prepare for her role. Speed compared the demanding schedule to that of a professional athlete.
She explained that preparing for full-time voice work is similar to training as an athlete and that people often do not realize the physical demands of producing a voice. Despite not being visible, it is a physically taxing process that requires proper body mechanics to support and produce the voice effectively.
Taylor-Johnson has already tackled the life of one iconic British musician with 2009’s Nowhere Boy, which told the story of John Lennon’s early life. But getting Abela ready to play Winehouse, whose unique soulful voice is one of the most instantly recognisable of the modern era, was a different type of challenge.
“You aim for the vocal performance to be precise, but not an imitation. Otherwise, there would be no difference from miming to her pre-recorded tracks,” Speed explained. “I worked with Abela four times a week, for two hours each session, for three months prior to filming. It was a significant dedication.”
Abela has previously said she came to see her body as “a true instrument” and had to lose weight to play the star who died in 2011. Her voice was something she said she needed “to work at” in much the same way that she practised the guitar.
The demand for musical biopics has grown in recent years, leading to more actors needing to develop singing skills. This has been referred to as a “golden age” for the genre, with successful films such as Rocketman (based on Elton John), Straight Outta Compton (based on NWA), and Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla (based on Priscilla Presley).
Recently, there has been a focus on the training that actors undergo to prepare for their roles, with some preferring a “method” approach. Bradley Cooper, who is being considered for an Oscar for his portrayal of conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein in the film Maestro, revealed that he spent six years preparing for the role.
Although not all actors undergo such a rigorous process, Speed believes that being able to sing has become an essential skill for actors. However, she also emphasized how challenging it can be to perfect this skill.
I believe this is a crucial skill, but not everyone may be interested in prioritizing it… you must locate someone who is willing to put in the effort, as it requires practice and dedication.
One misconception the audience may have is that actors have many attempts to get a scene right. However, due to a tight schedule, this is not the case. When they arrive on set, they must be able to perform well.
Source: theguardian.com
