>>> AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS THREE
WEEKS FROM TONIGHT, THE OSCAR
FOR BEST ACTRESS COULD GO TO AN
ESTABLISHED STAR LIKE VIOLA
DAVIS.
BUT THE NAME VERY WELL MAY
BELONG TO A TALENTED SINGER WHO
HAS STUNNED HOLLYWOOD IN HER
FIRST EVER MOVIE.
ANDRA DAY, A GRAMMY NOMINATED
MUSICIAN KNOWN FOR HER ANTHEM
"RISE UP" RELUCTANTLY ACCEPTED
THE LEAD ROLE IN "THE UNITED
STATES VERSUS BILLIE HOLIDAY," A
FILM ABOUT THE JAZZ ICON.
TO EMBODY HER, IN A PERFORMANCE
THAT HAS EARNED HER A GOLDEN
GLOBE, DAY SANG ALL OF THE SONGS
BUT ALSO HAD TO PICK UP SOME NEW
HABITS, NAMELY SMOKING, DRINKING
AND SWEARING.
ANDRA AND I GOT TOGETHER THIS
WEEK FOR A VIRTUAL SUNDAY
SITDOWN AND A LITTLE SURPRISE.
>> ALL THESE REPORTERS ASK ME,
WHY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO?
THIS IS WHAT I TELL THEM.
>> BILLIE HOLIDAY DID THINGS ON
STAGE NO ONE ELSE COULD DO.
♪ THERE AIN'T NOTHING I CAN'T
DO ♪
>> BUT ANDRA DAY, A FAN SINCE
CHILDHOOD, COMES CLOSE.
♪ I'M GOING TO DO JUST AS I WANT
TO ♪
>> I WAS SO ENAMORED WITH THE
SOUND OF HER VOICE, WHERE SHE
WOULD PLACE THINGS, HER TONE.
SHE CHANGED MY IDEA OF WHAT A
GREAT SINGER IS AND COULD BE.
I HATED THE SOUND OF MY OWN
VOICE.
I STILL STRUGGLE A BIT IN THAT.
>> REALLY?
>> YEAH.
MY GOODNESS.
>> CHECK IT OUT.
YOU ARE VERY GOOD.
>> SHE ACTUALLY HELPED ME TO
ACCEPT MY MUSICAL IDENTITY.
THAT'S WHY THE DAY IN MY NAME IS
AN HOMAGE TO BILLIE HOLIDAY.
>> IN HER FIRST EVER ACTING
ROLE, THE 36-YEAR-OLD DAY GIVES
A STUNNING PORTRAYAL OF THE
WOMAN WHO INSPIRED HER STAGE
NAME.
♪ LEFT ME WITH EYES THAT CRY ♪
>> DAY CAPTURED HOLIDAY'S
UNMISTAKABLE VOICE AND LOST 40
POUNDS TO PLAY A WOMAN
STRUGGLING WITH DRUGS, ALCOHOL
AND ABUSE.
THIS IS A BIG LIST FOR YOUR
FIRST JOB.
>> INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I THINK
BECAUSE I'M SUCH A BIG FAN,
THAT'S WHY I INITIALLY SAID NO.
MY MANAGER BROUGHT IT UP.
FIRST OF ALL, I WAS LIKE, THIS
IS A TERRIBLE IDEA.
I'M NOT AN ACTOR.
THE OTHER THING IS, I LOVE DIANA
ROSS' PORTRAYAL.
WHY WOULD WE TOUCH THAT?
TO ME IT'S LIKE, LEAVE IT ALONE.
>> NO, I WANT TO SING THE SONG.
>> A MEETING WITH THE DIRECTOR
CHANGED HER MIND WHEN SHE
REALIZED THIS WOULD FOCUS ON
STRANGE FRUIT.
>> GET HER OFF THAT STAGE.
>> HOLIDAY'S HAUNTING PROTEST
SONG ABOUT THE LYNCHING OF BLACK
PEOPLE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH.
HOLIDAY'S INSISTENCE ON SINGING
THE SONG FOR INTEGRATED
AUDIENCES PUT HER IN THE
CROSSHAIRS OF THE FBI.
>> WHAT MADE ME SAY YES WAS
SCRIPTURE I READ.
I WOULD SAY I WAS TRYING TO PRAY
AWAY THE ROLE.
GOD, WHY WOULD I AGREE TO
AUDIT
AUDITION?
WHY AM I HERE?
I DID DEVOTION THAT NIGHT.
IT WAS THE NEXT THING.
IT WAS A SCRIPTURE ABOUT WALKING
ON WATER, BEING CAUSED TO DO AN
ACT OF GREAT FAITH.
CRAP.
>> HERE ARE THE NOMINEES FOR
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
IN A MOTION PICTURE OR DRAMA.
>> IF THE ROLE ITSELF WAS A
SURPRISE --
>> THE GOLDEN GLOBE GOES TO
ANDRA DAY.
>> YOU COULD IMAGINE HOW DAY
FELT ON THIS NIGHT, JUST A FEW
WEEKS AGO.
YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE IS AT
THIS CRAZY INFLECTION POINT
RIGHT NOW.
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE IN
THE MIDDLE OF IT?
>> THE THING I FEEL OVERWHELMING
EVERY DAY IS GRATITUDE.
ACTUALLY, SLEEPINESS.
BUT GRATITUDE.
>> YOU CAN HAVE BOTH.
>> IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING, YOU
KNOW?
IT'S A LITTLE DISORIENTING IN
THE BEST WAY.
ALL OF IT IS PRETTY UNEXPECTED,
YOU KNOW?
IT WAS SO SURREAL.
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS.
IT DAWNED ON ME I FEEL LIKE THIS
IS PRETENTIOUS.
I WILL PUT IT OVER HERE.
>> YOUR GRANDKIDS WILL SING IT.
>> ANDRA STARTED SINGING AS A
KID GROWING UP IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.
SHE ATTENDED THE SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND
PERFORMING ARTS.
AS WE TALK ABOUT YOUR EARLY
YEARS AND WE TALK ABOUT THE
INFLUENCE AT 11 YEARS OLD OF
HEARING ABOUT BILLIE HOLIDAY
FROM ONE OF YOUR TEACHERS, WHAT
DID HE MEAN TO YOU AND WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY TO HIM RIGHT NOW?
>> I WOULD SAY, THANK YOU, FIRST
OF ALL.
>> I THINK WE HAVE SOMEBODY
JOINING US ON THE CALL.
MR. DOYLE, ARE YOU THERE?
>> OH, MY GOSH.
MR. DOYLE, THIS IS CRAZY.
ALL OF THIS IS CRAZY.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
>> YOU ARE KIND OF BUSY SINCE I
SAW YOU LAST.
SHE WASN'T YOUR NORMAL MUSICAL
THEATER HIGH SCHOOL GIRL.
THERE WAS THIS SULTRY,
SOPHISTICATED RAWNESS IN HER
VOICE.
SHE WOULD SING A SONG AND IT WAS
LIKE, IF YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO
ME, THAT'S COOL.
IT'S NO BIG DEAL.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
THERE WAS ALWAYS THIS ENERGY
ABOUT HER.
>> THAT ENERGY EVENTUALLY CAUGHT
THE ATTENTION OF STEVIE WONDER
WHO HELPED LAUNCH DAY'S MUSIC
CAREER.
HER FIRST ALBUM, "CHEERS TO THE
FALL" CAME IN 2015.
FEATURING THE HIT SONG "RISE
UP," WHICH SINCE HAS BECOME AN
ANTHEM FOR THE MODERN CIVIL
RIGHTS MOCHL.
♪ WE'LL RISE UP ♪MAZING WHAT TH
HAS DONE.
IT'S BEING ADOPTED BY THE BLACK
LIVED MATTER MOMENT, IT'S THE
MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME.
IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME.
ALSO, WHEN PEOPLE GO, I WAS
GOING TO COMMIT SUICIDE AND I
DIDN'T BECAUSE I LISTENED TO
"RISE UP."
THAT'S HEAVY.
YOU REALIZE SOMETHING ELSE IS
GOING ON THERE.
>> FOREVER CHANGED BY THE CHANCE
TO PLAY HER MUSIC IDOL, ANDRA IS
BACK IN THE STUDIO WORKING ON
HER OWN MUSIC.
ARE WE GOING TO HEAR A LITTLE OF
THAT BILLIE GRAVEL IN THE NEW
RECORD?
>> YEAH.
IT'S HER DNA ON THERE, IN THE
WAY I APPROACH THE STORIES AND
HOW I SAY CERTAIN THINGS AND THE
WAY I DELIVER CERTAIN LYRICS.
A LITTLE LESS POLITE.
I WOULD HOPE WHAT IT DID GRAB
ONTO WAS SOME OF HER MAGNETISM.
>> SHE'S GOT THE MAGNETISM.
IT'S STREAMING NOW ON HULU.
ANDRA IS INCREDIBLE IN IT.
HER NEW ALBUM IS DUE ON JUNE
4th.
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