I Wanna Dance: The Whitney Houston Movie tells the story of the record-breaking world star. For Naomi Ackie, who plays Houston, it was important to reproduce Houston’s movements as accurately as possible.
The makers of the film told Yle why it was important.
Empathy for Houston
Stepping into the shoes of a megastar made Ackie suspicious at first. The 30-year-old Briton says he grew up in a home where Whitney Houston’s iconic songs played constantly. However, she knew she didn’t look or sound like Houston.
Houston was in a special position in his mind, and that’s why the role was terrible.
– She was called Diva (\”The Diva\”). Part of me had put him on a pedestal and thought of him as such, says Ackie.
– The background work helped me feel empathy for Whitney, which I didn’t even know existed before.
The goal is faithful imitation
*I Wanna Dance* is a very traditional biopic. It has been described as Wikipedia-like in the way it goes through Houston’s life and career chronologically, one main point at a time.
The duration of more than two hours is devoted to long clips of Houston’s iconic performances. Houston’s TV debut on *The Merv Griffin Show* in 1983 and Super Bowl performance in 1991 will be seen in full.
– I watched Whitney’s performances over and over again, frame by frame, to get all my movements as accurate as possible.
The solution is a bit similar to a few years ago in *Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018). It culminated in a meticulously recreated version of Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance.
\”Lives are messy\”
McCarten says that his biggest responsibility is to reveal something new about real people. To do this, you often have to imagine, fill in gaps, invent dialogue and even fictional characters.
However, the background work must be responsible, and you must not invent \”stupid facts\” in the story just to make it more interesting.
– I’m not taking a photo, I’m painting a picture. I interpret what I see. My accuracy can be questioned, but everything is driven by the desire to tell the truth, says McCarten.
– The stories do not appear as complete three-act films. Lives are messy, history is a bad filmmaker.
With *I Wanna Dance*, however, McCarten wanted to show that Houston’s life is less messy than many claim.
Houston is misunderstood
The 2018 *Whitney* documentary paints a picture of a woman who was unable to take care of herself or her loved ones due to drug addiction and public spin. The documentary, praised by critics, shows a lot of rough footage of the chaotic and mossy Houston.
Bobbi died a few years after her mother at the age of 22 – also in the bathtub. Numerous illegal substances were found in his blood. In the documentary, a relative describes Bobbi’s life as a \”horrible waste\”.
The tone of *I Wanna Dance* is gentler and happier than the documentary. Mother and daughter spend quality time with each other, and Houston’s roughest moments are hardly seen. There is no mention of Bobbi’s fate.
Screenwriter Anthony McCarten says Houston is misunderstood.
– His life was full of successes as an artist and as a person. He was generous and loving. His life was full of laughter, says McCarten.
He wanted to bring that life, full of \”genius music\ to the big screen with the best possible sound reproduction.
– I challenge anyone to say after watching the movie that his life was tragic.