By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
Lee Daniels didn’t want to touch the story of Billie Holiday. “Lady Sings the Blues” already existed. But it wasn’t her full story. Holiday, he’d come to realize, was an unsung civil rights hero who was targeted by the U.S. government for her drug use and her protest song, “Strange Fruit.” It’s this story that’s told in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. The film, featuring Andra Day’s Golden Globe-nominated performance, debuts Friday on Hulu. It’s the Grammy nominated singer’s first acting role and one she has not been able to shake easily.
Lee Daniels and Andra Day Take On Billie Holiday’s Legacy
