Though we haven’t seen too much from the forthcoming Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody starring Naomie Ackie and Nafessa Williams, what we do know is that it was project done with much care and respect for the star gone far too soon.
Those sentiments were shared from Houston’s own sister-in-law and executor of the Houston Estate, Pat Houston, who also serves as a producer in the upcoming feature.
“When Clive [Davis] came to me, talked about the project and what he wanted to do, it was a no-brainer,” Houston said per Variety. “I’d never do anything that she wouldn’t want to do. He is the reason that I chose to do this, because I know how she felt about him, and everyone knows how he feels about her.
She continued:
Clive’s a tough cookie, but we dove into this. It was a challenge. Maybe some things we didn’t get right. Most things we did. When it’s all said and done, at the end of the credits, when fans hear ‘Don’t Cry for Me,’ I hope that gives them closure. It’s a beautiful song, and hearing Whitney sing it takes me home.”
For Ackie, she specifically highlighted the effects she hopes the film has by it being an “active pursuit” in the telling of the icon’s story.
“We treat female pop singers in a crazy way. In filmmaking, we can be activists and, at the same time, we can be voyeurists,” she explained. “That’s a conversation I want to have. With films like this, what do we actually affect? There was a real urge for us to explore the darkness, but mostly to celebrate her light and tenacity.”
She concluded, “As a result, I think that the conversations had afterwards are important: What does a film like this trigger in people? What does it inspire in those who were a part of her life and music? I want films like these to be an active pursuit, an active experience.”
I Wanna Dance With Somebody, starring Naomie Ackie, Nafessa Williams, Ashton Sanders, and Stanley Tucci hits theaters Dec. 23.