As the unauthorized documentary of the late Whitney Houston, directed by British filmmaker Nick Broomfield, gets close to hitting the screens – the director sat down with Rolling Stones for an intense and in-depth interview on the making of his ambitious project.
The veteran documentary filmmaker, started the project more than a year ago, and received instant disapproval from Houston’s estate who were not happy with him touching on the subject of the late diva’s biopic, as they were planning an official documentary with Oscar winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald themselves.
Nevertheless, Broomfield has gone ahead and not only finished the project, despite all obstacles but is also vouching for every opportunity to spread the word of mouth on it.
Speaking with Rolling Stones, the filmmaker said how during the process of filming the movie, he found that Houston was forced to live an image created by her record label to make her more appealing to the masses. “She was supposed to just toe the line and behave herself, and got into terrible trouble whenever she somehow strayed from this image,” Broomfield said.
Speaking on the impact, Robyn Crawford – Whitney’s former manager and her rumored lover, had on the singer’s life, Broomfield seemed to think very highly of her. “She was the angel on her shoulder,” Broomfield told the magazine. “And it was only when Robyn left that things went absolutely out of control.”
Praising Crawford further for her presence in Whitney’s life, the director further said, “She deserves that recognition. Robyn was efficient: She was the guiding force that kept it all together, and always put Whitney first, never tried to cash in on their relationship. She’s the heroine, in a way, of the film. I admire her.”
The director fathomed how Houston was burdened with supporting so many of lives around her that, in a way, it took a toll on her own life. “She was supporting so many people and had such massive responsibilities with this gigantic entourage that it just became insupportable. She was generous to a fault, and she didn’t really care about money until it was much too late,” Broomfield said.
The filmmaker hopes that with the movie, people would form a different perception around the legendary songstress’ personal struggles, for which she was harshly judged during her lifetime.
“I would like a lot of people to feel that there was a whole other way of looking at this,” he said.
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‘Can I Be Me?’ is stated for a theater release on 18 August and will premiere on showtime on 25 August.
This article includes excerpts from an interview with the Rolling Stones.