Lee Daniels’ upcoming film, The United States vs. Billie Holiday continues to round out its cast.
Evan Ross, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dana Gourrier and Erik LaRay Harvey have joined the previously announced Andra Day, Natasha Lyonne, Trevante Rhodes and Garrett Hedlund.
It’s a bit of a full-circle moment as Ross’s mother, Diana Ross, infamously portrayed Holiday in 1972’s Lady Sings the Blues, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Lee Daniels is directing this film and Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the script.
Deadline, who broke the news of the castings says this: The pic follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by Black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. The pic will intimately examine Holiday’s struggles with addiction, fame and heartbreaking love.
The film is inspired by the book, Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari.
“It is an extraordinary responsibility to tell the story of the iconic Billie Holiday. Her story is very personal to me and I hope to do justice when bringing to light this profound and complicated soul–a great artist and an unsung civil rights warrior,” said Daniels in a prior statement.
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Photo: Getty Images
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