No./15
Stepping into Whitney’s shoes
Naomi Ackie on how she transformed into a music legend for I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY
THE KNOWLEDGE
Naomi Ackie — who made her Hollywood debut in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker — took a varied approach to researching Whitney Houston. To prepare for the film, directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Bohemian Rhapsody scribe Anthony McCarten, she spoke to producer Clive Davis (played by Stanley Tucci in the film) and members of Houston’s family to understand who the singer was offstage. For her, it was important to understand how Houston made people feel. “There was this feeling that wherever she went, people felt impacted by her presence, and that is something you can’t force,” she says.