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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 10:40 BST
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Rita Ora plays a junkie in boxing drama Southpaw
Rita Ora plays a junkie in boxing drama Southpaw

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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.

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