Marvin Gaye's only daughter tells Susan Whitall of The Detroit News why her family is uncomfortable about "Sexual Healing," an upcoming film focusing on Gaye's time in Belgium during the early 1980s.
Marvin Gaye"We know that my dad was far from a perfect human being," Nona Gaye said. "There are no perfect human beings. He had demons he had to fight, just like all of us. But this piece in particular, focusing on the last few years of his life, is basically focusing on his death. . . .
""It's not like we don't want a film to be made about Daddy," she says. "When the time is right, and the circumstances are correct, and it's about his life and a celebration of his life, that'd be great."
The project is about to start filming in Europe, Whitall writes.
In 1981-'82, Marvin Gaye was living in Belgium, struggling with drug addiction and convinced that his career was over. He eventually wrote the song "Sexual Healing" there, which rebooted his career and earned him a Grammy.
Director Julian Temple is set to direct "Sexual Healing," and actor Jesse L. Martin ("Law & Order" and "Rent") will now play Gaye
The News' veteran music writer quotes producer Vassal Benford, a Detroit native and former Motown Records executive who also is scoring the film:
"I think the family is a little bit over-worried," Benford said. "The script is great. It doesn't portray Marvin in a bad way; it actually makes him look like a hero at the end. A lot of major artists wind up on drugs. I think this sort of sheds some light on that, in a positive manner."
