Neil Haley, The Total Tutor host of the Total Celebrity Show, interviewed Charlotte Crossley to find out details about the documentary, her experience filming it, and what it was like to be part of an Oscar winning film.
Through hard work and determination, Crossley has been blessed to maintain longevity in the entertainment business. As a singer, her music credits include working with the likes of Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Lainie Kazan, Muddy Waters, Sister’s Love, Boz Scaggs, and Hiroshima. As an actress, she has appeared in films including The Preachers Wife, Beaches, Sister Act 1, Sister Act 2, When Harry Met Sally, Faster, and the Emmy Award-winning HBO film Behind the Candelabra. Her most recent film, the Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, was directed by Morgan Neville. It reveals the untold stories of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century.
“It is wonderful to be part of academy award-winning documentary,” said Crossley. “ We told Morgan this piece was Oscar worthy, so get ready to walk and get that statue. It sets the bar for achievement for the rest of your life.”
During the interview, Crossley explained that the film is a documentary story of 6 background singers. The documentary covers 50 years of background singing, showing how they all got their start. The movie discusses the struggles, the high lows, about being forgotten, and always being 20 feet from the star. She also talked about how music was made and how black singers went to where the work was, not vice versa.
“Being a background singer we had to cover the stars,” Crossley said. “We covered the likes of the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson.
CEO of Simply G Media, GJ Reynolds said, “Charlo stayed the course, and ended up landing on a star.”