Persuading Céline Dion to appear in ‘Love Again’ took close to “a full year,” says director

Of all the movies that Céline Dion could have appeared in, she chose the new romantic comedy Love Again, which is in theaters now. But the movie’s director says it wasn’t easy landing the superstar diva for the part.

Writer-director Jim Strouse told Variety that it “took months, maybe even a full year” to persuade Céline to appear in the movie, in which she plays a fictionalized version of herself who helps two lonely people find “love again.” 

The movie is actually a remake of a 2016 German film, and in that movie, a fictional singer is the person who brings the two together. For Love Again, Strouse said, “We all thought if we could put a real artist in there it would be more interesting and have their life speak to the themes of the film.” 

Céline was their “dream” choice, and Strouse told Variety he thought it would be “easy” to get her, because her record company is owned by Sony, which was releasing the film. But when she didn’t immediately return Strouse’s calls, he sent her a copy of the script and numerous letters. 

He finally won her over, and she even agreed to record original music for the soundtrack, which is also out now.

Ultimately, “Céline loved the words that Jim chose and the sensitivity with which he approached her husband’s death and their love story,” producer Esther Hornstein tells Variety. “She was blown away by how Jim envisioned her role and the film.”