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Naomi Ackie has mentioned she’s “potentially putting myself in the firing line” for enjoying Whitney Houston within the upcoming biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
READ MORE: ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ evaluation: A flawed however becoming tribute to a fancy icon
The actress, who’s best-known for enjoying a resistance fighter in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, mentioned portraying the long-lasting singer in a brand new interview with The Independent.
“I know that by playing Whitney I’m potentially putting myself in the firing line,” she mentioned. “Though I’m more aware of [what I’m getting into] because I’m 31 and she was 19 when she entered the industry.”
However, Ackie admitted that she’s nonetheless daunted by the prospect of turning into a serious star. “I love being in front of the camera and telling stories, but [fame] feels alien to me. I can already see my life changing. And I really like my life!”
Directed by Kasi Lemmons, I Wanna Dance With Somebody focuses extra on the triumphant moments in Houston’s life, reasonably than her struggles with drug dependancy and quite a lot of scandals. Ackie defined why she felt that was the suitable transfer for the story, and why the constructive points of her life far outweigh the unfavorable.
“We like the binaries of good and bad,” she mentioned. “But I’m an enormous believer that you could be many issues directly.
“When I think about Whitney – yes, obviously there are the drugs and her illness of addiction. But in comparison to the amount that she gave us musically, and especially if you’re of a minority – whether that’s your sexuality or the colour of your skin – the access she provided us is huge.”
She added: “On top of that, the sacrifices she made that allow people like me to even play her in the first place. Without Whitney, or so many other pioneers of that time, we wouldn’t even be talking about diversity today. To me, that far outweighs any of the other parts of her life.”
In a three-star evaluation of the brand new biopic, NME wrote: “Ackie’s performance as the late superstar is genuinely transformative. She doesn’t just nail Houston’s distinctive speaking voice and stage mannerisms – the lip quivers, the dramatic hand gestures – but also captures her plucky spirit.”
‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ might be launched in UK cinemas on December 26.