How A-list actors tackle roles as famous classical musicians

This week, the legendary life of 1950s opera icon Maria Callas will be brought to the Australian screen, with Angelina Jolie playing the lead role. In recent years, biopics, documentaries, films, and television series about classical musicians have been abundant, generating significant buzz at award ceremonies and film festivals. These works not only showcase the musicians' talents but also delve into the complexities of their lives.

Among them, Bradley Cooper's "Maestro" focuses on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre. Another highly anticipated work is Cate Blanchett's brilliant portrayal of the fictional world-renowned conductor Lydia Tár in "Tár," a role rarely held by women in real life, adding to its unique appeal. From Meryl Streep to Kelvin Harrison Jr., many actors have played roles in adaptations centered on classical musicians, further proving the allure of this genre.

What makes the inner world of classical music so captivating? How do actors bring these extraordinary characters to life on screen? And why has classical music become such an intriguing subject for film? These questions have sparked much contemplation. The depictions of the classical music world, along with its famous composers, conductors, and performers, on both stage and screen, have drawn the attention of countless viewers.

Even those who are not classical music enthusiasts can find enjoyment in these stories. Many of the portrayed figures are household names, familiar to audiences regardless of their musical tastes. In "Maria," Angelina Jolie incorporates her own star power and understanding of fame, along with the immense pressure of beauty and age, and a woman's need to write her own life at all costs, into the role. "More famous figures like Bernstein or Mozart are actually figures in broad popular culture," said Dan Golding, host of "Screen Sounds" on ABC Classic.

"But there are also figures that general film audiences might be less familiar with," he added. These stories often intersect with significant world events or universal human experiences, allowing them to resonate deeply with audiences, regardless of their personal interests. Golding cites the example of American theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer, who played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, whose biopic dominated last year's Academy Awards. Competing against "Oppenheimer" at the awards ceremony was "Maestro," the film directed by and starring Bradley Cooper about the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein.

Screen stories about the world of classical music often lean towards showcasing the drama and theatricality of famous figures, and how their musical creations or performances served as the soundtrack to their lives. The 1984 film "Amadeus," adapted from the play of the same name, illustrates this point. The plot revolves around the 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his less famous rival, Antonio Salieri, with Mozart's renowned musical works interwoven throughout the soundtrack. Despite taking considerable artistic liberties with historical facts, the alleged rivalry between the two composers has been deeply ingrained in the minds of many viewers. "The film was incredibly successful and still holds up today," said Golding.

A television remake of "Amadeus," starring Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany, is slated for release later in 2025. In "Maria," the tragedies in Callas' personal life are also brought into focus. As a 1950s opera icon, Callas' life was almost as dramatic as the roles she played. With a troubled childhood, a tumultuous career, and a relationship with one of the world's wealthiest tycoons, Aristotle Onassis, Callas was always under media scrutiny.

Callas brought the raw emotion of tragic heroines in opera to a new level, surpassing many other performers, only to lose her voice at the peak of her career. During Callas' retirement, Onassis left her to marry former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. So, how can actors successfully portray a world-class musician?

For actors, convincingly portraying a musician on screen is no easy feat. Most professional musicians spend their entire lives honing their skills, often beginning their musical journey from a young age. Jolie underwent seven months of training for her role as Callas, including vocal lessons, Italian lessons, opera lessons, and breathing exercises. "You can't fake singing opera," Jolie said. "It comes from everything you are. It's not just the voice, the technique, it's the emotion."

Despite having some classical music training, Cooper still spent hundreds of hours practicing conducting before finally stepping onto the podium to portray Bernstein. "There's a heightened sense of performance in musical biopics, and it's performance with a capital P," Golding said. For figures like Callas and Bernstein, there are countless interviews and performance clips that actors can draw on for reference to shape their performances. Sometimes, their portrayals are strikingly similar.

Sydney cabaret performer Melody Beck created a stage show about the singer Marni Nixon, who was the behind-the-scenes voice for many stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, from Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" to Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady." To prepare for the role of Nixon, Beck read and watched everything she could find about Nixon and the actors Nixon worked with. She even met Nixon in person. "I went to New York and performed the show for her while she was still alive," Beck shared. "She said it was cheeky, but she loved it."

One of the challenges in portraying Nixon was that she spent most of her time dubbing for other actors. In the process known as dubbing, Nixon re-shaped these actors' movements, speaking, and singing styles to make the recordings sound seamless. In turn, Beck said, "I had to become Marni, who was becoming someone else, who was becoming a character." Today, actors are expected to be more involved in the musical aspects of their roles. In "Maria," Jolie's voice is mixed with recordings of Callas' performances.

"You always hear Angelina's voice, and you always hear Maria Callas' voice," the film's director, Pablo Larraín, told Vanity Fair. "When we hear Maria Callas at her peak, it's mostly Callas—90%, 95%—and when we hear the older Callas, it's almost all Angelina." Golding believes that the authentic performances that actors deliver on screen are what make them most compelling to watch. "Whenever actors put that level of dedication into their roles, it resonates with the audience, even if they are not familiar with that world," Golding said.