Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Watch Rita Ora play a bruised drug addict in new Jake Gyllenhaal movie Southpaw

The singer is seen opening the door to boxer Billy Hope in the latest trailer

Jess Denham
Thursday 02 April 2015 05:40 EDT
Comments
Rita Ora plays a junkie in boxing drama Southpaw
Rita Ora plays a junkie in boxing drama Southpaw

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Rita Ora has left the glamour of the red carpet to play a drug addict in Jake Gyllenhaal’s upcoming boxing movie Southpaw.

The “How We Do” singer and judge on The Voice is seen looking bruised and dishevelled in the latest trailer for the film, due out on 31 July.

Further details about Ora’s character, including her name, remain unknown at this stage but she will be starring alongside Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, 50 Cent and Oona Laurence. Eminem has written a new song for the movie.

Gyllenhaal takes the lead as professional boxer Billy Hope, whose life spirals downwards after the tragic death of his wife Maureen and loss of his daughter to family services. Ora answers the door to Gyllenhaal in the clip, suggesting that he could be visiting her in search of drugs.

The 34-year-old actor is unrecognisable from his role as a broadcast journalist in last year’s Nightcrawler, having lost and gained a lot of body weight.

Ora told German Glamour recently that filming Southpaw was an “incredible experience”. “It was really great to go into a completely different world but it was not always easy,” she said.

“The role that I play is indeed very far away from my real life. I needed a lot of coaching and some speech training because I had to have a certain accent.”

Jake Gyllenhaal as boxer Billy Hope in Southpaw
Jake Gyllenhaal as boxer Billy Hope in Southpaw

Ora has had cameos in Fast and Furious 6 and Fifty Shades of Grey, in which she plays Christian Grey’s sister Mia and appears briefly in a family dinner scene.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in