Why star of Amy Winehouse biopic had to train ‘like an athlete’

Voice coach Anne-Marie Speed outlines extraordinary demands made of actor Marisa Abela to play role of singer

• Singing, dancing, playing piano: six actors who had to train for their roles

Intense gym sessions, consulting nutritionists and multiple coaches tweaking every aspect of your performance might sound like the life of a professional endurance athlete but increasingly the same demands are being made of actors – especially those trying to transform into well-known singers.

Anne-Marie Speed, who has trained the cast of musicals including Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and recently worked with actors on Danny Boyle’s Sex Pistols TV series, was part of the team of coaches who helped the Industry star Marisa Abela transform to play the lead in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s forthcoming Amy Winehouse project, Back to Black.