No stranger to the spotlight, multi-platinum Australian recording artist Emily Williams will star as Rachel Marron in the UK and Ireland tour of the award-winning international smash-hit musical The Bodyguard, coming to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre this month.
Yes, I was a fan of the movie – who wasn’t at that time?! It’s one of the best movies ever made. If I were to have missed it, I don’t think I’d be able to sing the way I do now to be honest with you. I don’t know many vocalists nowadays who don’t regard Whitney Houston as their go-to vocal goddess of all goddesses! She was an absolute queen, and she dominated the entire 90s. I’m so glad I was able to experience her while she was alive and see her in her prime.
I think when I played the role in Australia in 2017, I was more excited to be singing the songs than understanding and connecting deeply to the character of Rachel Marron. To get to come back and dive completely into my interpretation of Rachel, I now understand her so much better. I feel like the UK and Ireland tour are going to get the best of me in this role.Rachel Marron is strong, she’s an incredible performer, a beautiful mother, and very protective of the people around her.
Entering the industry through a reality competition can be tough. How did you find it? Did you receive any guidance from people within the industry when you started? Be yourself. I know that’s so cliché, but back when I started in the industry it was hard to be yourself. This current generation are allowed to be authentic and express themselves, but back then you had to be a certain way. I just wish I had told myself that ‘you are enough’ and allowed myself to be whatever I wanted to be. I restricted myself to a certain extent. I needed to know my place in the world.