Naomi Ackie is a London-born actress set to play the iconic American singer Whitney Houston in the new biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody
(Picture: PA Archive)Naomi Ackie, 30, has stepped into the shoes of the late Whitney Houston by starring in a new film about the iconic singer’s life.
The biopic, which documents Houston’s rise to global fame and is entitled Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, is out in the US on December 23 and in the UK and Australia on December 26.
Ackie plays one of the most successful recording artists of all time alongside Stanley Tucci, who portrays her music executive mentor Clive Davis.
So who exactly is Ackie and what was her life like before she landed this once-in-a-lifetime role?
This Schiaparelli gown has my heart 🤍 Naomi Ackie looks amazing pic.twitter.com/KKBUePblhC
— Eboni🤍 (@VersaceVenus_) December 14, 2022
Early life
Ackie was born on November 2, 1992 in Walthamstow, east London. She was one of three children to a father who worked for Transport for London and mother who worked for the NHS.
While at Walthamstow School for Girls, at the age of 11 Ackie played the angel Gabriel in a nativity play.
This fuelled her love for performing and she went on to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the capital.
Early career
After graduating, Ackie’s breakthrough role was in the 2016 film Lady Macbeth, which earned her a British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
Her impressive performance caught the eye of renowned British actor Idris Elba and he cast her in his directorial debut Yardie in 2018. She then played the role of Jannah in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.
Proving she is a multi-talented actress, Ackie then took on a more comedic role playing Bonnie in the second season of Netflix’s The End of the F***ing World in 2019. A year later, she appeared in the Steve McQueen film series Small Axe.
Naomi Ackie is ✨ the moment ✨ in this EXCLUSIVE look at Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. See it in theaters December 23. https://t.co/s28IkqdmV9 pic.twitter.com/AuWffExrNM
— IMDb (@IMDb) December 20, 2022
Whitney Houston biopic
Ackie’s role playing Houston explores the singer’s romance with her friend-turned-assistant Robyn Crawford, her turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown, and her ultimate demise to drug addiction and later death.
Speaking of her preparation for the role, Ackie told Sky News that “it was about eight months of research and preparation and working with my movement coach and dialect coaches”.
She added: “The goal is that you practise so much that it’s just in your body, so that you go on set and you just don’t have to think about any of that.”
