Bohemian Rhapsody. Rocketman. Elvis. Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story. The musical biopics simply maintain coming. Subsequent to seize the mic is I Wanna Dance With Any person, chronicling Whitney Houston’s journey from the church choir to her large breakthrough into the music trade and her knock-out (and record-setting) performances and songs, together with her memorable 1991 Tremendous Bowl rendition of the nationwide anthem.

The Rise Of Skywalker’s Naomie Ackie performs the troubled megastar, and whereas apparently she might hit the proper notes herself when requested, she’s more than pleased that it’s (largely) Whitney’s voice that audiences will probably be listening to when the music begins. “I might fill a few of the areas,” Ackie tells Empire. “After I belt, it’s the same tone to [Houston’s voice]… and [after the audition, during which she sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘It’s Not Right But It’s Okay’] the dialog was like, “Oh, properly, you could have the same vary to Whitney.’ However 97 p.c of it’s [still] Whitney singing, and it shouldn’t be another method.”

Ackie says she watched hours and hours of footage in an try to “entry Whitney’s internal world” and “monitor her altering vocal tone in her talking voice as she ages, and the way her accent modifications.” Ultimately, nevertheless, the actress realised that regardless of how a lot she tried to channel the legend, it could nonetheless solely ever be a efficiency: a hopefully gorgeous one, however a efficiency nonetheless. “It bought to some extent the place I had absorbed a lot, I needed to let it go,” she says. Portraying such a musical legend was fairly the hill to climb – however, as Whitney herself sang, who is aware of what miracles you may obtain, once you consider?

Learn Empire’s full I Wanna Dance With Any person story within the new Evaluation Of The Yr difficulty – on sale Thursday 27 October, or pre-order a duplicate right here. I Wanna Dance With Any person is in cinemas from 26 December.