Exclusive: The Knockturnal Talks With Naomi Ackie And Cast Of Whitney Houston Biopic, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’

Get ready to glimpse the life of the iconic Whitney “the voice” Houston in Tristar Pictures’ highly anticipated film, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody!’

The biopic, directed by award-winning writer and actress, Kasi Lemmons, co-stars Stanley Tucci as the history-making music executive Clive Davis and showcases the legendary singer’s rise to fame and the trials she faced.

Hailing from the UK, Naomi Ackie pulls off an incredible feat in her stunning transformation into the infamous Ms. Houston – down to the Jersey accent and mannerisms we’ve all come to know the icon for. 

Even more impressive than Ackie portraying Whitney as she experienced her career highs, was the embodiment of her personal struggles with fame, vices, and turbulent relationship with Bobby Brown, played by Ashton Sanders.

Reporter Aurora Fowlkes caught up with the rising star, Ackie, on the carpet last Tuesday night at the AMC Lincoln Square in Manhattan for the world premiere of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, as she touched on the challenges of becoming Whitney Houston on screen.

“Some [moments] were easier than others, you know,” Ackie says. “I think [Whitney’s] difficulty and her illness of addiction was probably the harder thing to tap into, but I tried my best to treat it with as much compassion and sensitivity as possible.”

While admitting she was “slightly nervous” playing Whitney, Ackie recounts that “getting to know her during the filmmaking, I realized her flaws are what made her beautiful because it’s like anyone of us; if she can achieve something as great as she did then anyone who has flaws can achieve many things too.”

‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ doesn’t just allow its audience to witness some of Whitney’s most incredible musical moments, such as the recording of her first self-titled debut album in 1985, to her memorable 1994 American Music Awards performance, but also the humanity behind her darker moments in life.

Kris Siddberry who plays the role of Whitney’s sister, Pat Houston in the film, admits that movie-goers should expect a key takeaway to be that “humans can be legends too”.

“Whitney made a lot of human error, but still a hundred years from now, will still be in the zeitgeist and I think that that’s so important for young people to understand,” Siddberry states before adding, “because sometimes things seem so unattainable, so I think that’s important.”

Being a long-time confidant of Whitney, as well as the first to take Whitney on as an artist of Arista records in 1984, Clive Davis states that “this film is the real deal”, and “will answer all questions while celebrating her music.”

If audience members aren’t taken aback by Ackie’s unforgettable performance, they certainly will by the renowned chameleon of an actor, Stanley Tucci who showcases many of the intimate conversations had between Davis and Whitney throughout her career.

Reflecting on working alongside the incredibly talented and star-studded cast, Clarke Peters who plays Whitney’s father, John Houston states that he found that “the story is the star.”

“I think we’re actors who have worked in theater as well as on stage and so when you get that, what we realize is that… we are not the star, we’re just there to tell the story and make sure that it gets out well. When you’re working with people who are like-mind, its easier to get the story told like that,” Peters says with a smile.

Equally, appreciative of working with the amazing cast behind ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ is film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer, Tamara Tunie who plays the role of Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston. 

Mentioning that stepping onto the carpet for the film’s premiere felt “exhilarating”, Tunie also recalled feeling a “sigh of relief.”

‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ began its principal photography in August 2021, in Newark, New Jersey during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Letting out an exhale Tunie states, “we wrapped this movie a year ago, and we’ve been waiting for this day. It’s thrilling, it’s exciting, it’s great to reunite with the cast;” before adding that overall and “it’s just wonderful.”

In the middle of her excitement for the film’s release, we couldn’t help but ask film lead, Ackie, her favorite Whitney Houston song to sing during Karaoke, to which the star let out a chuckle.

“It has and always will be, I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Ackie says with a laugh before adding: “there’s an article where I say that from like six years ago, and I’m not even kidding!”

You too can rediscover or realize your own favorite Whitney Houston song, and meet the dynamic woman behind the record-breaking voice in theaters this Friday, December 23rd!