The United States vs. Billie Holiday

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    Billie Holiday Biopic Wins Big at 2021 Movies for Grownups Awards

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    ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ directed by Lee Daniels and fronted by Andra Day has scored the top prize at the AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards.

    Mar 5, 2021
    AceShowbiz – Lee Daniels’ “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday” has been crowned Best Picture at the AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards.
    The biopic, starring Golden Globe winner Andra Day as the jazz icon, claimed the top honour at the annual event while Sophia Loren was named Best Actress for “The Life Ahead” and Anthony Hopkins took home Best Actor for “The Father”.
    Supporting awards went to Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”) and Demian Bichir (“Land”).
    “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, which headed into the ceremony with six nominations, was the only film to emerge with two accolades – Best Director and Best Screenwriter for Aaron Sorkin – while Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods”, which also had six nods, landed just one prize, for Best Buddy Picture, and Regina King’s feature film directorial debut, “One Night in Miami…”, earned the Best Ensemble title.

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    Awards season favourites “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Nomadland” were among the nominees shut out at the Movies for Grownups Awards, which celebrates releases suitable for the 50 and over audience, although “Minari” won Best Intergenerational and “Mank” landed Best Time Capsule.
    For the first time in the ceremony’s history, event officials also celebrated TV and streaming projects, with “This Is Us” claiming Best Series and “The Queen’s Gambit” scoring Best TV Movie/Limited Series.
    Following up on the show’s Golden Globe wins, “Schitt’s Creek” star Catherine O’Hara won Best Actress (TV/Streaming) while Mark Ruffalo landed Best Actor (TV/Streaming) for “I Know This Much Is True”.
    The winners will be feted during a virtual ceremony on 28 March (21) when George Clooney will receive the Career Achievement honour.

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      Andra Day Still Recovering From Billie Holiday Movie as She Smoked and Drank a Lot During Filming

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      The ‘Rise Up’ hitmaker talks about playing the late ‘Strange Fruit’ star in Lee Daniels’ critically-acclaimed movie ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’.

      Feb 28, 2021
      AceShowbiz – Andra Day is still recovering from her turn as Billie Holiday after taking a deep dive into the jazz and blues singer’s life.
      A huge fan of the “Strange Fruit” icon, Day won over director Lee Daniels at her audition with passion and landed her first acting role in the process, but she admits her film debut in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” has taken its toll on her.
      “There’s still a lot that I am working out in me from playing Billie,” Andra explains in an interview obtained by Just Jared. “She gets in, you know what I mean? She gets ahold.”

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      “It was a commitment. I think it’s one I’m recovering from still. I’d never smoked cigarettes before. Just starting out smoking, I was practising with my acting coach… I was like, ‘I want some of your American Spirits.’ That first day I was drinking vodka and smoking cigarettes, and I went home and threw up, like, five times!”
      And that smoking habit has stuck with the singer, who explains, “I finished the last pick-up shots last year, but what I expected to be a four, five, or six-month habit ended up turning into about a year and a half.”
      Day also “drank a lot of gin and bourbon” to get into the spirit of Billie, who died of complications from cirrhosis caused by alcohol abuse.
      “I hadn’t drank in so long, and it was never really a big part of my life, even when I did when I was younger,” she adds.

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      Andra Day Claims Desperation to Portray Billie Holiday Led to Her Abusing Her Body

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      Speaking about her role as the jazz and blues legend in ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’, the ‘Rise Up’ singer admits to adopting a drastic weight loss regime in addition to drinking and smoking.

      Jan 25, 2021
      AceShowbiz – Andra Day put her body through hell to portray jazz and blues legend Billie Holiday in a new Hulu drama.
      The singer took a deep dive into Holiday’s life and career before shooting on director Lee Daniels’ “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” began, and admits she adopted a drastic weight loss regime and started drinking and smoking to get into the skin of the music legend.
      “I basically abused my body for a long time…,” she tells Variety. “I got the role at the very top of 2018 (and started) reading everything I could get my hands on, listening to every interview. Apparently, I exhausted the Internet of Billie Holiday photos. Apparently, the Internet will tell you that you’ve reached the end.”
      “I put my family through it; I put myself through it… I went from 163 pounds to 124 pounds. I would talk like her and I don’t drink or smoke, but I started smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Not that I recommend people do this; I just was desperate because this is my first role.”

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      “I just asked God to give me all of the pain and trauma. I asked him to give me her pain and give me her trauma.”

      Day also changed the way she sang for the role, adding, “Every time I would sing a song I’d go, ‘OK, Lee’s going to hear this and he’s going to fire me.’ But I wouldn’t have done it if they’d been, ‘Do it in your voice.’ That, for me, would have probably been a no.”
      “There’s victory and there is pain in her voice, so to me it was just like, ‘We’ve got to get it, we have to get it,’ you know what I mean? It’ll have to be my interpretation of it, but it has to be there.”
      “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” drops on Hulu on 26 February.

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