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Exclusive: Naomi Ackie on Portraying Whitney Houston's Queerness in I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Naomi Ackie in I Wanna Dance With Somebody
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Ackie opened up on a recent episode of Advocate Today.

Actor Naomi Ackie was "very happy" to portray Whitney Houston's queerness in new biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.


Though Houston was physically and emotionally intimate with another woman, Robyn Crawford, that relationship is often erased or forgotten when discussing the historic musician.

Naomi Ackie on Playing Whitney Houston | Advocate Today

Ackie, who portrays Houston in the new film, tells Tracy E. Gilchrist of Advocate Today that she felt it was important to show Houston's full life, and her queer identity.

"It was a beautiful friendship — connection — that they had. Their relationship changed over time, it didn't stay in that place, but it was a beautiful thing while it was there, and it's maintained beauty because they loved each other. It was one of her deepest relationships at the time, outside of her family. And to me, that is apart of her history, so it should be told."

For more interviews like these, watch Advocate Today on The Advocate Channel.

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