From left: Stanley Tucci (who plays Clive Davis), Naomi Ackie (who plays Whitney Houston) and the music impresario Clive Davis. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Wednesday evening, the premiere of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the biopic about the life and times of Whitney Houston, took place in New York City. Admirers of Houston gathered to honor the late superstar and the film’s release.
Actress Naomi Ackie stars as Houston in Kasi Lemmons-directed film, alongside an all-star cast: Ashton Sanders as Bobby Brown, Tamara Tunie as Cissy Houston, Clarke Peters as Whitney’s father John Houston and Stanley Tucci as the music impresario Clive Davis.
Attendees on the red carpet included the cast of the film, notable influencers and those who were once closest to Houston such as her sister-in-law Pat Houston.
In a previous interview, Ackie spoke ofHouston’s influence over her life and how the cast and crew strived to “get it right” with the film. “She’s been elevated in my life for so long that it felt like an impossible thing to achieve at times,” she said. “But so many people told me the same thing: If I wasn’t scared and nervous, they’d think something was wrong with me…The biggest challenge was letting my fear of the magnitude of this task take a back seat. Nothing good comes from sitting in fear for too long.”
Check out the gallery of the film’s NYC premiere below.
Vondie Curtis-Hall and director Kasi Lemmons. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Guerdy Abraira. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Candiace Dillard Bassett. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Xavier “Two” Lewis and Naturi Naughton. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Peppermint. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Flavor Flav. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Ashton Sanders. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
From left: Stanley Tucci (who plays Clive Davis), Naomi Ackie (who plays Whitney Houston) and the music impresario Clive Davis. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Dancers perform a tribute to Whitney Houston. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Yonathan Elias. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Actress Nafessa Williams.Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Pat Houston and Clive Davis. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.
Justiin A. Davis. Image: courtesy of AK47Division.