Rumer Willis: 'Spirit of Amy Winehouse helped me win Empire role'

Rumer Willis has Amy Winehouse to thank for her role on TV drama Empire, because she landed the part of Tory Ash after performing one of the late Brit's songs on a radio show.

The actress and singer's character is heavily influenced by Winehouse, and Rumer is convinced she landed the role after a strange 'audition'.

"I was doing an interview (on the radio) and they, off the cuff, asked me to sing a song and I picked an Amy Winehouse tune," Willis tells news show Access Hollywood Live, "and I think maybe two days later I got an audition for the show, because Jussie (Smollett), who plays Jamal, had seen it and sent it to (show creator) Lee (Daniels) and some of the producers and said, 'This is the girl we've gotta get to play Tory'."