On the third floor of the Edition hotel in West Hollywood, three chairs were pushed against a wall in a hallway, supporting a rotating cast of entertainment journalists.
The interviewers made hushed small talk, waiting for their turns with the director and star of “Back to Black,” a new film about the singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse.
A British man disclosed that he’d dreaded the movie, as if watching it would give him war flashbacks. He once lived near Ms. Winehouse in London, and they shared mutual acquaintances.
An American woman held a notecard with a question that read: “Muh reese uh” — the phonetic pronunciation of Marisa — “not only was your portrayal of Amy beyond uncanny in every imaginable way, your performance was grounded in such truth and authenticity, and it was beautifully humanizing. Can you talk about how that place of abundant love and passion was a north star of sorts when stepping into her shoes?”
Marisa Abela would sit for 56 interviews that Monday. Even her lunch break was an interview — an hour with The New York Times on a hotel patio, where the sun drilled into her pores and her takeout box of sushi.
Ms. Abela, 27, spent the last month promoting the film, traveling from London to Paris and Rome. “Back to Black” was released on April 12 in Britain, where it led the box office for two weeks (unseated only by “Challengers”). The film will be released on May 17 in the United States.
