Jack O’Connell, who portrays Amy Winehouse’s husband in the singer’s biopic, shares how he prepared for the role.
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In ‘Back to Black,’ the highly anticipated biopic of Amy Winehouse, Jack O’Connell portrays Blake Fielder-Civil, the singer’s former husband, who tragically passed away in 2011 from alcohol poisoning at just 27 years old.
The actor revealed how he spent an afternoon with Amy’s ex-husband, now 41, while preparing for the role. To the ‘Sunday Times,’ O’Connell shared that he felt Fielder-Civil was very candid when speaking about his relationship with the singer: “He was quite open. He spoke very well of Amy. There was something so genuine about the way he spoke that it was unquestionable to me that he loved her.”
Winehouse and Fielder-Civil had a tumultuous relationship, marrying in Miami in 2007 and divorcing in 2009. For many of the singer’s fans, Blake is partially responsible for Amy’s premature death. In an interview with ‘Good Morning Britain’ last year, he admitted to introducing Winehouse to hard drugs.
“I’m guilty, and that’s okay. I can’t change what other people think about it, but personally, I needed to stop carrying that burden. I’ve carried it for over 10 years,” he said. “It’s devastating that she’s not here. I think about her all the time, she was my best friend.”
For O’Connell, although Winehouse’s story involves much tragedy, ‘Back to Black’ is told through lyrics she wrote, many of which were about, and for her ex-husband; to understand his role, it was important to meet with Fielder-Civil. “The research was about authenticating that time and playing Blake honestly.”
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