Andra Day wants you to know that she put herself through quite a transformation to step into the shoes of the late Billie Holiday.
The singer and actress, who’s played the iconic jazz and blues songstress in a new Hulu biopic, stated that she had to shed a lot of weight to look like the late legend, apart from making herself go through an emotional roller-coaster.
In a recent conversation during Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’, Andra spoke about the exciting new movie – which has been directed by ‘Precious’ director, Lee Daniels
“I basically abused my body for a long time,” the 36 year old stated. “I’m joking and not really joking.”
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She further added:
“I got the role at the very top of 2018. 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.”
She also spoke on the efforts it took for her to ‘transform herself’ into Holiday, for the role:
“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. 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.”
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Watch the trailer for the sensational new flick below: