What did Andra Day do to prepare for her title role as the star of “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” director Lee Daniels’ gripping new film about the transcendent jazz and blues singer’s soul-sapping battle against racism, addiction and relentless government persecution?
A more apt question would be: What didn’t the three-time Grammy Award nominee do to prepare to play Holiday in this Paramount Pictures production, which begins streaming Friday on Hulu?
The role, which marks Day’s film debut, has earned her growing Oscar buzz and a 2021 Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama. She threw herself into playing the famously gifted, troubled and tormented Holiday with so much focus and commitment, body and soul, that it seems as if Day’s life depended on it, not just her budding acting career.
“This was incredibly difficult and the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life,” she said, speaking by phone recently from her Los Angeles home. “It was transformative.”