Entertainment
Naomie Ackie reveals people were ‘freaked out’ by her British accent while filming Whitney Houston biopic-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro
The actress said she became ‘immersed’ in Whitney’s world.
The actress is the spitting image of Whitney in the film (Picture: Sony Pictures: TNI Press Ltd)
Naomi Ackie, who’s taken on the role of playing Whitney Houston in the new biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, has revealed how baffled people were when they heard her speak in a British accent for the first time on set.
Having previously starred in films and TV series including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and season three of Master of None, the actress has taken on the gargantuan task of depicting music icon Whitney in her new film, which delves into the How Will I Know? singer’s life and career.
On Friday evening, Naomi’s set to appear on The Graham Norton Show, where she shared how confused some were when they discovered she was actually British and not American.
‘People freaked out when they heard my British voice,’ the 30-year-old said.
‘On set I would be talking as Whitney and then afterwards I was like, “Bloody hell, that was a hard day innit!”’
The actress added that after working on the accent for six months she thought she ‘had it down’… but she had more work to do when she had to wear fake teeth.
Whitney starred in The Bodyguard in 1992 (Picture: Warner Bros)
Naomi opened up about her experience making the film (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)
‘I had been working on the accent for six months and thought I had it down, then suddenly putting in the fake teeth meant I had to learn it all over again,’ she stated.
Naomi told Graham and the other guests on the sofa – who included Tom Hanks, Suranne Jones and Richard Osman – that she had to ‘take a break’ from Whitney’s music after becoming ‘immersed in her world’.
‘But now I listen to her to remember some of the moments I had filming,’ she added.
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‘It was such a formative time in my life and career that I look back on it fondly.’
Whitney is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time, having belted out hits including I Will Always Love You, I Wanna with Somebody, How Will I Know, It’s Not Right but It’s Okay, I Have Nothing and My Love is Your Love.
Having sold over 200million records across the globe throughout her career, in 2012, she died at the age of 48.
In 1997, she famously performed the US national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, at the Super Bowl.
The legend also won numerous awards including six Grammys, inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame and 28 Guinness World Records.
The Graham Norton Show airs tonight at 10.40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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