Andra Day lost 40 pounds to play Billie Holiday — but she didn’t feel any prettier


The star, who scooped this 12 months’s award for her main position in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” informed InStyle that whereas she has observed a distinction, the load loss has not made her feel extra enticing.

In an interview with author Rebecca Carroll, revealed Tuesday, she mentioned: “I’ve had people ask me, ‘Do you feel prettier now that you’ve lost weight?’ I was like, ‘Hell, no! I liked being juicy! I was cool.’

“But I do like the best way (the load loss) feels on my physique, I like the best way it feels on my joints. You do discover a distinction. Besides, to me, there isn’t a such factor as a traditional magnificence. Beauty takes on so many alternative varieties, in numerous instances and relying on the nation. It’s nearly being assured, loving your self, and understanding your worth.”

The 36-year-old was additionally nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Holiday, in the movie that has been streaming on Hulu since February.

The feature film, directed by Lee Daniels and based on the book “Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs,” revolves around how the federal government targeted Holiday and her activism.

She first got here beneath the highlight of legislation enforcement in New York through the 1940s. Much of their curiosity stemmed from her 1939 tune “Strange Fruit,” a powerful protest song that depicted black lynchings in the South.

Day, who started out as a singer, is no stranger to protest music. She performed her song “Rise Up” at the White House during Barack Obama’s presidency and it has since been adopted as an unofficial anthem by the Black Lives Matter movement.

'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' lets Andra Day deliver its high notes

In 1947, Holiday was arrested for a narcotics violation and spent a 12 months in rehab. Yet days after her launch she managed to play to a packed out Carnegie Hall.

Having fought her personal battle with dependancy, Day informed InFashion that she now feels she is “honoring her [Holiday], and the energy that’s femininity.”

Playing the part strengthened her own self confidence, Day said: “It was nearly like she mentioned, ‘Sis, we’re going to have to shut this, as a result of I’ve to survive.’ She opened me up to valuing myself in a method that I hadn’t totally earlier than.”



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