NATALIE Portman tops the list of actresses in the frame to play Sinéad O’Connor in a film about her life.
Three Irish film companies have teamed up to produce a biopic about Sinéad, who died aged 56 in 2023.
Three Irish film companies have teamed up to produce a biopic about Sinéad, pictured, who died aged 56 in 2023[/caption]
Insiders said Natalie, 44, was being lined up for the role.
A source said: “Natalie is the actress the filmmakers want to play Sinéad.
“They think she is the spit of Sinéad in terms of her physicality but as an actress, they know she has the strength and power to do justice to Sinéad.”
Natalie previously shaved her head for the 2005 film, V For Vendetta.
A source added: “She is the spitting image of Sinéad in that film.
“It’s uncanny.
“Natalie really is a triple threat – she can morph into characters, dance and sing – and is a true perfectionist.
“She would be a great signing for this.”
Sinéad’s biopic is being directed by Josephine Decker, who made a film about horror writer Shirley Jackson, starring Elisabeth Moss, in 2020.
The writer will be by Stacey Gregg, whose TV credits include the series Mary And George, Little Birds and The Letter For The King.
Production companies behind the project include See-Saw Films – who were behind The King’s Speech, Shame, The Power of the Dog and Slow Horses – as well as Nine Daughters and ie:entertainment, which was an executive producer on Nothing Compares.
Sinéad is still best remembered for her 1990 hit Nothing Compares 2 U, which was accompanied by a music video in which she sported a shaved head and shed a tear over the memory of her dead mother.
Her career was defined by controversial moments due to her strong and outspoken views, along with her conversion to Islam in 2018.
Sinéad once ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a performance on US show Saturday Night Live.
Looking directly into the camera after singing Bob Marley’s War, Sinead said “fight the real enemy” – said to be a protest against the Catholic church.
The stunt saw her banned for life by US broadcaster NBC.
Days later, Sinéad took part in Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary tribute concert at Madison Square Garden and was booed
But Sinéad stood by the protest, saying in an interview with the New York Times in 2021: “I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant.”
She also spoke out on racism, human rights, women’s rights, child abuse and organised religion – namely the Catholic Church in her home country.
Our source added: “This film about Sinéad is going to be as unflinching and brutal as most of her life was – and Natalie is a dab hand at dark portrayals on camera.”