Amy Winehouse film Back to Black: Actor Jack O'Connell defends controversial biopic about Amy Winehouse

Back to Black star Jack O’Connell has defended the Amy Winehouse film ahead of its release in UK cinemas this week. The former Skins actor plays the role of Winehouse’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil and has revealed that her father Mick wanted to “deck him” when he saw him dressed as the character on set.

The biopic, which is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who is married to actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, tells us the story about the life of Amy Winehouse, one of the biggest R&B singers of all time. Winehouse died in 2011 aged just 27, but had already become an influential musician, with some of her most famous songs including, Valerie, You Know I’m No Good, and Rehab.

The upcoming Amy Winehouse film has drawn criticism from fans and friends of the singer over its depiction of her struggles with addiction. Here’s everything you need to know about what Jack O’Connell has said about the biopic.

What has Jack O’Connell said about Amy Winehouse film Back to Black?

Speaking ahead of the Back to Black premiere which is taking place in London on April 8, in an interview in The Sunday Times, O’Connell defended the biopic, hitting back when asked if it was too soon to make the film, describing it as an “acceptable timescale”.

O’Connell continued: “Put it like this, if we were trying to portray her in any form of negative light, then that might be a valid point and I can understand one or two people pre-empting that. But if you talk to Sam Taylor-Johnson, we're not even calling this a biopic, it's a celebration.”

The former star who is best known for his role in teen drama Skins went on to share that Winehouse’s father Mick had wanted to “deck him” when he saw him dressed as ex Blake Fielder-Civil.

Adding that Fielder-Civil hadn’t wanted the film to go ahead, he said: “He wasn't overly keen, obviously it's going into a phase of his life that is very personal and he harbours a mixed bag of emotions".

When is Back to Black coming out?

Back to Black will be released in UK cinemas on Friday, April 12. The UK premiere will be taking place in London on Monday, April 8.

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.