After an exhausting and extensive search to find an actress who could play the late and great Whitney Houston, the makers of the diva’s upcoming official biopic, have finally found the project’s leading face.
And it’s British actress – Naomi Ackie.
The BAFTA winning actress who also appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker went through several screen tests, before the film’s director Stella Meghie and the man who’s bringing the whole thing to conception – Clive Davis, gave her a nod.
“We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston,” Meghie said in a statement. “Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life.”
Clive Davis, who’s often been credited for ‘discovering’ Whitney Houston and curating her first album, echoed Stella’s sentiments.
“Naomi Ackie’s screen test was so powerful, it sent shivers up my spine,” Davis, who’s also a co-producer in the project said of 28 year old. “Although Whitney’s incomparable vocals are used for all the songs, Naomi’s extraordinary acting range enables her to masterfully capture Whitney’s unique charm, star power and, of course, her personal struggles. Naomi is the real deal and I can’t imagine a better choice for this iconic role.”
Would be interesting to see, how they manage to physically transform her to look more like the stunning diva.
This could be a career-making role for Naomi, if done right.