This isn’t the first time Andra Day has shown her dedication to a role. For The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021), she took up smoking, drinking, and losing weight to portray the jazz singer and activist.
In The Deliverance, Day plays Ebony, a mother struggling with alcoholism who faces even greater challenges when her children become possessed by a supernatural spirit. The film, inspired by real events in Indiana where a woman claimed her children needed an exorcist, also stars Rob Morgan, Caleb McLaughlin, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.
Though initially hesitant about the film’s demonic themes, Day found peace through prayer and felt a strong need to tell the story of a “flawed woman” trying to make the best of her situation. Working again with director Lee Daniels, who previously directed her in Billie Holiday, added a sense of familiarity.
The Deliverance premieres in theaters on August 16 and will be available on Netflix later in the month.
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