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9 Actresses Who Have the Chops to Play Celine Dion in Her Biopic

26/02/2019 - 07:08 PM

Celine Dion has conquered music, and her iconic song "My Heart Will Go On" [1] has permanently ensured her place in the movie pantheon as well. So what's a star to do next? If you're Dion, you authorize not one but two movies based on your music and life!

One, The Power of Love, is not quite a straightforward biopic, although it's based on Dion's life story [2] and uses her music; Variety clarified that the French film will be a "vibrant homage" [3] but not an actual biography with a true story [4] and real people.

Meanwhile, the newly announced Celine Before Celine will be a classic biopic, and The Hollywood Reporter notes that the filmmakers have access [5] to documents from Dion's early life.

But who will play Dion herself? The Power of Love already cast French actress Valérie Lemercier as "Aline," the Dion avatar character. But for the English-language Celine Before Celine, the casting is still wide open. We've rounded up a few picks — some more likely than others — who we think could nail the role of the pop icon on screen.

Melissa Benoist

If the movie spends more time with a younger Dion, Benoist could be a great choice. Besides, we already know she's got the voice, thanks to her time on Glee (and that one musical episode of Supergirl).

Troian Bellisario

The Pretty Little Liars [6] actress might not seem like an obvious choice, but she does bear somewhat of a resemblance to Dion. She's not a singer by trade, but we have heard her sing — in French, to boot [7]! It's possible she'd need dubbing or voice lessons, but it would definitely be doable.

Katharine McPhee

As a veteran of not one but two musical TV series (American Idol and Smash), McPhee has definitely had the chance to demonstrate her amazing vocals — she's even sung "The Prayer" alongside Andrea Bocelli [8], just like Dion! McPhee has experience acting in a musical context, too: she starred in Waitress on Broadway and is currently leading the West End cast of the musical.

Emmy Rossum

It's been 15 years since Rossum has starred in a movie that requires her singing chops, but the Shameless star is no stranger to singing on screen. In 2004, she starred as opera singer Christine in the movie adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, so she could definitely pull off Dion's soaring songs!

Lily James

The British-born actress has exactly the versatility that would be needed to portray the ups and downs of Dion's life. She's done light drama (Downton Abbey), fairy tales (Cinderella), and serious drama (a stage performance of Romeo and Juliet). Plus, we know she can sing and throw herself into a performance wholeheartedly, thanks to her turn in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!

Saoirse Ronan

The Oscar-nominated actress could be a great pick for Dion, especially given that the film is set to focus on her "origin story" as it were. Ronan's singing talents are as yet unknown, but she's risen to every challenge on film so far, so we imagine singing wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Amber Heard

She's fresh off her success as Mera in Aquaman, so the Dion biopic might be an interesting change of pace for Heard. She's sung on film before, though not in a big-name film: she played a singer-songwriter in the 2015 music drama One More Time.

Elizabeth Olsen

Olsen's big claim to fame is as Marvel's superheroine Scarlet Witch, but did you know she's actually already starred in one musical biopic? The actress played country singer Audrey Williams opposite Tom Hiddleston's Hank Williams in I See the Light, the biopic of the country music legend.

Victoria Justice

Justice has already highlighted her singing and acting abilities on Victorious, and she's sung on the soundtracks of several projects. Memorably, she also performed on Fox's update of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, proving that even a quirky project is within her abilities!


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https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/Who-Play-Celine-Dion-Her-Biopic-45851913