I Wanna Dance with Somebody is the latest biopic to explore Whitney Houston’s life. Known as “The Voice” for her incredible vocal range, Houston rose to global success, selling more than 200 million records through her career. The biopic, now in theaters, stars Naomi Ackie as Houston and is directed by Kasi Lemmons. The two recently spoke with EW about the iconic late singer’s relationship with close friend Robyn Crawford, portrayed by Nafessa Williams. Rumors circulated that the two were also romantically linked.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody briefly addresses the relationship between Houston and Crawford. According to the film, the two became friends during their teen years. When Houston’s father, played by Clarke Peters, becomes aware that the two share romantic feelings, he tells them they should start dating men. While Houston obliges to her father’s request, Crawford does not. Although their physical relationship comes to an end, the two remain close, with Crawford going on to become Houston’s creative director. Although never publicly acknowledged by Houston, Crawford’s 2019 memoir A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston details their romance.
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For Lemmons, including the meaningful relationship in the film was a non-negotiable.
While Houston’s Estate agreed to the film sharing the love story between the two women, Lemmons previously said that she had to fight to include a kiss between Ackie and Williams.
“It was important to discuss, especially right now, because we have to ask ourselves, ‘What would’ve happened if these outside pressures hadn’t been on her, and she had just been allowed to be herself? Would that have been a lasting relationship, or would it have eventually become the friendship that it became? Those questions are interesting to me. But the relationship was so significant that I wouldn’t have done the movie if it wasn’t included in the film,” Lemmons told EW.
Whitney and Robyn’s Deep Connection
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I Wanna Dance with Somebody star Ackie also felt that the film needed to highlight the women’s strong bond:
Houston married musician Bobby Brown in 1992, and eventually, a disagreement between Brown and Crawford led to Crawford no longer working for Houston. While Houston and Brown were married the two were constant tabloid fixtures due to their documented substance abuse issues. In Brown’s 2016 memoir, Every Little Step, he writes that he believes that if Crawford and Houston had remained closed, Houston “would still be alive today.” Houston passed away on February 11, 2012, at 48.
“It was really important to me, too, that we tell her full story. If you’re going to explore this amazing woman, you’ve got to do it all,” Ackie told EW. “The thing I loved about her relationship with Robyn is that it’s just the deepest connection I think that Whitney experienced. That love that they shared, changed and morphed over time as they got older, but the love never changed.”
