Tracee Ellis Ross’ mother is the legendary singer Diana Ross. Ellis Ross has made his own mark in the entertainment industry. He has starred in successful TV shows Girlfriends and Black-ish and has produced his own spin-off Mixed-ish. She plays a singer in her new film The High Note and would possibly have even surpassed Diana Ross, her own mother!
The High Note is now available in digital, DVD and Blu-ray format. In the bonuses, Ellis Ross, screenwriter Flora Greeson and director Nisha Ganatra talk about turning Ellis Ross into a rock star.
Grace Davis is the fictional rock star of The High Note. Its heyday in the past, so it became and released albums of wonderful hits. His assistant, Maggie (Dakota Johnson), encourages him to release new music.
“I followed this script for about 8 months, nine months,” Ellis Ross said. “From the moment I read it, I felt like I was getting this movie.”
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Greeson said he left his job at a company to devote himself to writing scripts and, in fact, inspired Ellis Ross.
“It’s a 27-year-old dynamo who wrote a script,” Ellis Ross said.
For the most of his career, Ellis Ross signed up for the theater. Ganatra said she didn’t even know if Ellis Ross could sing herself when they met.
“We chose Tracee Ellis Ross by listening to her sing still,” Ganatra said. “We were so inspired by their skill and abilities, but also by great relief.”
Ellis Ross identified his mother’s legacy, but created something new in The High Note.
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“I come from a singing legacy,” Ellis Ross. “Obviously, Grace Davis doesn’t look like my mother, yet it’s a world I know.”
One in which Davis can compete with Diana Ross is glamorous fashion.
“Grace Davis’ wardrobe was more than just a cloakroom,” Ellis Ross said. “It was the taste. Solid, elegant, polished and expensive”.
Creating a fictional rock star, the filmmakers of The High Note a genuine musician. Sarah Aarons wrote three songs for Grace Davis.
“When we put together the music for the film, we saw this New York Times play about Sarah Aarons,” Ganatra said. “She is so humble and silent about her immense talent. It produces after the facts.”
When Aarons and Ellis Ross were joined, Greeson saw their script come to life.
“She came here and visited the set, ” Greeson. She and Tracee then sat at the piano at Capital Studios and played the song Sarah wrote for the film.
The first motion recording query.
“[Ellis Ross] just started singing, then Sarah started singing,” Ganatra said. “Everyone had tears and Tracee had tears, Sarah had tears and they hugged. It was a lovely moment.