I Wanna Dance with Somebody star was moved to tears by the filming of biopic

Whitney Houston’s life has been brought to the big screen by Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with SomebodyNaomi Ackie stars in the movie.

“This film is about Whitney and it’s a celebration of Whitney, and of her life and her music and what [she went] through,” Bria Danielle Singleton, who plays Bobbi Kristina Brown during her late teen years, teased to Yahoo Canada.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with SomebodyKasi Lemmons directed the film. It documents the life of the legendary singer, from her days in New Jersey singing in a choir to her success as a recording artist. The music will take you through Houston’s turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown (played by Ashton Sanders) and her relationship with Clive Davis (played by Stanley Tucci). Davis is actually a producer for the film.

Singleton took the role of Houston’s daughter and teamed up with Ackie to create a touching personal story about the diva.

“It was such a big moment,” Singleton said, as she recalled the excitement of booking the role. “My agents called and they were just like, ‘oh we have something to tell you,’ and they started playing the song, the chorus of ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’”

“It took me a while to process and then they started screaming… It was just an, ‘oh my gosh, I did it’ moment.”

That moment that made ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ a huge hit

Bria Danielle Singleton has been a young star to be on the radar. She’s been gracing our screens since she was eight months old and has appeared in ABC’s Fresh off the Boat FX’s Better Things And Thunder Force Together with Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Scott

Singleton, who has worked with many stars, recognized that Naomi Ackie was a highlight.

“Naomi is my top favourite person I’ve ever worked with, honestly,” Singleton said. “From the get go, the moment we met, she was just so supportive.”

“She was already so busy but she made sure to pull me aside and be like, if you need anything, if you want to go get lunch together, if you want to run over lines, just tell me. I was so anxious and that just brought me down… She gave me the push I needed.”

Singleton even admitted that she was “chills” watching Ackie sing “I Will Always Love You” as she was filming the movie.

“Naomi performed it during one of the scenes and I instantly started crying, it was so emotional,” Singleton said. “I didn’t expect myself to actually cry and it was almost immediate,…I had to step away.”

“That’s one of my favourite memories, just hearing Naomi sing.”

“This isn’t a character I’m making, this is a real human being.”

Bria Danielle singleton was certainly under pressure when she had to portray Bobbi Kristi Brown, especially as Whitney Houston is such an iconic figure in popular culture.

“This is not a character I’m creating, this is a real person that people knew, people were friends with, people loved her,” Singleton said. “Even some of the crew,…my makeup artist was friends with Bobbi and she had photos of her around her workspace.”

“It was just like, I’m trying to portray your friend, or I’m trying to portray your idol. It was that pressure. She was someone to someone. [that made me feel like], I’ve got to get this down, I’ve got to get on top of it.”

Singleton portrays a young teenager thrust into the spotlight. But there is a certain synergy when Singleton herself becomes a public figure.

“I realized there are people watching me and people recognizing things about me,” Singleton said. “To be honest, it’s kind of scary, but I can’t imagine what it was like for Bobbi to go through that…from the start of her life.”

“It’s easy to give up”

With Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Bria Danielle Singleton is a veteran actress who has her sights set on one of the most recognizable TV and movie franchises.

“I would love to work on some sort of Marvel project,” Singleton said. “The latest one I watched was Moon Knight and the performance Oscar Isaac did was just so amazing.”

Singleton is an inspiration when it comes to role models Black-ish star Marsai Martin.

“She’s a Black woman and she’s done so much for her age,” Singleton said. “She’s a writer. She’s also a producer. She is an actress. She is such a role model.”

“To see her achieve so much at such a young age. This is what I want to do.

Singleton has had to take breaks from movies and TV in the past but her love for acting never lets her down. She reminds young actors and herself that it takes patience and perseverance to succeed in the acting industry.

“I’ve stopped for a little bit but I’ve always remembered why I did it,” Singleton said. “When I would stop I’d be like, ‘this is something I love.’”

“You just have to remind yourself that there’s a reason why you want to do it. You have a reason you do it, and a goal in your head. It’s just persistence… It’s really easy to give up. It’s possible to go from audition to audition to audition to never be called back. This can be very draining and disappointing. There’s always a reason. You don’t get things done overnight. It takes patience and hard work, but it will happen.