The 10 Females We'd Love (and Hate!) to See As Whitney Houston in Her Biopic
At this point, the question isn't if Hollywood will produce a biopic about the life of Whitney Houston, but when they'll get around to doing it. Less than a month after her death, we're already hearing that they're kicking around ideas about who would be the best actress to play the legendary R&B singer. From established thespians to relative unknowns, we've heard a number of different names tossed around. But, who should ultimately get the gig?
Earlier this week, we suggested Rihanna as someone who might be right for the role. And we felt the wrath of many of our readers in the comments section for doing it. So we decided to throw out the names of 10 other females who we'd love—and hate—to see play Whitney in her biopic. And, when this flick ultimately gets made, we'd like to see one of the ones that we "love" in the leading role. Are you listening, Hollywood?—Chris Yuscavage
WHITNEY HOUSTON BIOPIC
ACTRESS 1
LOVE: Kerry Washington
Why She Might Be Perfect For The Role of Whitney: Kerry would own this role. Although she's obviously not a singer, she pointed out on her Twitter account yesterday that she studied voice in college. She also seems like the type of actress who would take this role very seriously and essentially transform herself into Whitney Houston in order to play her part. And that's exactly what Whitney needs—and, more importantly, deserves—from whoever plays her in her biopic.
ACTRESS 2
HATE: Vivica A. Fox
Why We Don't Want To See Her Playing Whitney: For whatever reason, we've heard Vivica's name pop up a lot in reference to the Whitney Houston role. And we're not sure why. Sure, she's got some solid flicks under her belt (Independence Day, Soul Food, Kill Bill) but she hasn't played a part in the the last five years that's really gotten us excited. So we don't think that we could take her seriously if we saw her playing Whitney at this point in her career.
ACTRESS 3
LOVE: Jennifer Hudson
Why She Might Be Perfect For The Role of Whitney: She did the damn thing in Dreamgirls. She did a great job paying tribute to Whitney at the Grammys. And she can sang. That last part intrigues us the most. Like Kerry Washington, we also think Jennifer would immerse herself in playing Whitney and do a great job if she was given the chance to day it. Only question is: Because she's still singing herself, would she want this role?
ACTRESS 4
HATE: Jordin Sparks
Why We Don't Want To See Her Playing Whitney: Her name has gotten brought up in the Whitney biopic discussion. But, doesn't it feel like she's still a little too young to do it justice? We don't doubt that she'd do her best. But we'd much rather see someone who was at least a young adult at the height of Whitney's popularity.
ACTRESS 5
LOVE: Zoe Saldana
Why She Might Be Perfect For The Role of Whitney: Sorry if we're being superficial. But from the standpoint of appearance, Zoey looks like she could be made up to be Whitney Houston. She obviously can't sing like Whitney and she'd need to study how to have stage presence in order to play the role properly, but we could see her getting the job done. Plus, if you look at her filmography, she's been taking on more serious roles more in the last few years. And that would certainly help her handle this role.
ACTRESS 6
HATE: Halle Berry
Why We Don't Want To See Her Playing Whitney: Every time Halle appeared on the big screen as Whitney, we'd see...Halle. Granted, other blockbuster actors have been faced with the same fate while filming biopics and succeeded (see: Will Smith in Ali). But, still: Halle is so established that people might struggle to take her seriously if she tried to play Whitney. We just don't think it would work.
ACTRESS 7
LOVE: Brandy
Why She Might Be Perfect For The Role of Whitney: Whitney spent at least a couple hours on one of the final days of her life hanging around Brandy. She even gave her a letter just prior to her death (Brandy has refused to reveal what the letter said). So you know Brandy would do her best to nail this role. She's obviously got experience acting, too, and if she did a good job, she could revitalize her career right now. So, if given the chance to play Whitney, we think she'd make the most of it.
ACTRESS 8
HATE: Monica
Why We Don't Want To See Her Playing Whitney: Brandy? Yes. Monica? Ehhh. She doesn't have the acting chops necessary to play such a major role. She doesn't has the voice necessary to channel Whitney. And (no shots!) she doesn't have any reason to have the drive that someone like Brandy would have when playing Whitney. So we're not really sure why some people out there are even suggesting her for the role at this point.
ACTRESS 9
LOVE: Rihanna
Why She Might Be Perfect For The Role of Whitney: That's right. We're sticking by Rih-Rih! Listen, we know that you might not love her as Whitney. But, acting seems like the natural next step for her. She's also gone through a ton of public scrutiny over the course of her career just like Whitney, so she'd know how to play the role almost naturally. And, can you imagine how many tickets a movie about Whitney Houston played by Rihanna would sell? If Hollywood wants to make money, this is the way to go.
ACTRESS 10
HATE: Anyone who is not a celebrity already
Why We Don't Want To See Her Playing Whitney: There's been some talk about finding an unknown up-and-comer to play the role of Whitney. We applaud folks for wanting to give a new girl a chance. But...no. The actress who plays Whitney needs to know what she went through during her life. She needs to know what it's like to be a superstar. She needs to know Whitney's struggles. And someone who's never experienced fame and fortune simply isn't going to be able to provide any of that. So, we're sorry, but we absolutely hate that idea.
