Marisa Abela has admitted that it was "incredibly difficult" filming the Amy Winehouse biopic knowing the negative feedback to photos taken from the set.
The Industry actress has revealed that she was hounded by paparazzi while filming the 2024 biographical drama in London, much like Winehouse was followed by photographers at the height of her fame.
During an appearance on the How to Fail podcast on Wednesday, Abela shared that the team had to forge ahead with making the film despite knowing the "immediate" negative response to photos taken on set.
"What was slightly difficult about Back to Black was that there were paparazzi on set whilst we were filming so the feedback to that was immediate," she said. "I had to go back into work the next day and carry on filming, even though pictures were coming out day by day and there was a negative reaction to it online. That was incredibly difficult and sort of took me into a kind of trance-like state, like, 'OK, keep going, keep going.'"
The 29-year-old likened the experience to actors having to continue to perform in a play every night after the production has received negative reviews.
Abela noted that while tabloid culture has changed since the Rehab singer's heyday, she couldn't help but notice the parallels between how she and Winehouse were treated by the paparazzi.
"The paparazzi, mostly men, would get right up in my face and say things, almost heckling me while I was on set. It was like violent and it was horrible," she recalled. "I understand that it obviously pales in comparison to everything Amy went through, but at the same time, I was like, 'Guys, can you not see the irony of this situation and how horrible it is that you're doing this to me when this is what we're making this story about?'"
Back to Black, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, received mixed to negative reviews, although Abela won plenty of praise for her portrayal of the singer, who died in 2011 aged 27.
Of the response, she said, "As an actor, the ultimate goal is people saying I love your work. So when people don't, it's incredibly hard... The sadness that comes with people not enjoying what you've created is devastating and I don't think it ever won't be."
Abela added, "It's taken me a while to be proud of that film and to be proud my work in it but I am now. Partly for just doing it whilst that was all happening. I do think bravery is an incredibly important skill... that an actor has to learn and I learned it by fire on that job."
