Angela Bassett Addresses Not Casting Bobbi Kristina In Whitney Houston Biopic – “She’s Not An Actress”

[janetDAYZ]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you choose Whitney Houston as your first directorial project?

ANGELA BASSETT: I obviously had worked with Whitney and, you know, just fell in love with her as the rest of the world did. And when this opportunity was brought my way, it really was something I couldn’t say no to. I felt that if I said no and let it pass, I could imagine having a great deal of regret, you know? I wanted to tell a story about a beautiful sista, which is of course an opportunity for me to grow as a woman and as an artist in many expected and unexpected ways.

I had been looking for, hoping for, if I were to direct, a story that I felt deeply passionate about. One that I could stay up all night just thinking about, caring for and nurturing. I’ve had opportunities in the past, but nothing that just grabbed me like this did. I could only hope that the script would support my desire, and it did. It had to be grateful, respectful, honest, and all those things, because we know in her lifetime there was a great deal of pressure and scrutiny. I didn’t want this story to add to that.

EW: The film specifically focuses on Bobby and Whitney’s relationship, which might be the most controversial aspect of her life. Does that make it easier or harder for you?

ANGELA :Well, it was easy. I can’t say it was difficult. You know, I reflect it back on the moment I first saw them together. It was when I was doing Exhale. We were all on set in the living room together and [bobby] came to visit. I, like everyone else, had some preconceived idea … people just looked at a photograph or picture of them together and thought “They’re incongruous.” “They don’t go together.” “Why is she with him?” I think that was usually the question, not “Why is he with her?” They could imagine her with someone else who does something else, who carries himself [differently], who looks somehow different.

We didn’t see any commonality between them and we, having nothing to do with their lives, [shared] our opinions and perception. We didn’t do it with anyone else, very few people. So that’s enormous. But that moment I had, where he visited the set, he made a very strong impression on me.

EW: A positive or negative impression?

ANGELA: Just positive. He wasn’t loud. He wasn’t over the top. He wasn’t a showboat. He was grounded. His energy felt grounded and serious and supportive and loving. Without trying.

EW:Is that the Bobby we’ll see in the movie?

ANGELA:Yes, I hope so. Yes, that’s my desire.

EW:Is Bobby involved in the film? Has he given it his okay?

ANGELA: No. Bobby is not involved in the film. Of course, we’re very sensitive to whatever the relationships might be or what we have heard or what we perceive his relationship between her family and him. So we’re trying to be respectful.

EW: Speaking of relationships—do you consider yourself having been close to Whitney after Exhale?

ANGELA: No, I don’t. I can’t. I can’t say that, but I think that I had an opportunity, of course, to appreciate and love her from afar and then to spend time with her in a working situation. She shined in a room but didn’t suck up the energy. Some people suck up all the air and it’s all about them. They mistake their presence for the event. But she didn’t do that. She was there to work, to work hard, she was joyful, she laughed a lot, she played, she was easy to be around. You know, she was a delight.

EW: Part of that delight you talked about was derived in some part from her music. Have you secured rights to the music? And will you include that music in the film?

ANGELA: Absolutely. Absolutely. We have rights. With the time constraints of doing a movie for television, we have about 84 minutes or so. We’ve secured five songs.

EW: Were there any challenges in getting legal permission to use songs?

ANGELA: No. The challenge was in trying to pick which ones! [Laughs]

EW: As a director, what type of research are you doing to prepare for this type of movie? Are you going through her personal items, or speaking to her family for research?

ANGELA:No, not through her items. A lot of our research is from interviews, from interviews that she has given and we’ve crafted it within the framework of her meeting Bobby and taking that relationship about four or five years forward. And of course, I did read her mother’s book.

EW: Have you been able to collaborate or work with the family at all with regards to the film?

ANGELA: No, they’re not participating. We reached out to them in the early days; of course we’re not going to do the movie and not say anything to them. You can if you’re using public domain, but that’s not our desire. We paid our respects and let the conversation be had, just to get their okay. They certainly could have been not involved and against it.

EW:Does it hinder you that they’re not involved more?

ANGELA:No, it doesn’t. I really just want to tell a story about a boy and a girl who fell in love. And these are the words and this is the place, and these are are the people on the outside, you know? And I want to be as honest as I can about about doing that. If a boy tells a girl ‘I love you,’ well, what else can someone say? ‘He never said that,’ or ‘she said no.’ [Laughs] Whatever. I’m not sure what other people’s input could be. ‘Oh, he said it on the couch,’ or ‘Oh, he said it on the bed.’

EW: But drugs were a part of their story, and that’s controversial in and of itself. How do you deal with something like that?

ANGELA:Right. Well, we know that drugs were a part of their story and that’s certainly an element of their story. We can’t tell their story without that. It’s involved, and I hope we can unpack it gently.

EW: What are some of the specific challenges that have already arisen with this movie?

ANGELA: [Laughs] The challenges that I think happen with all movies. As a first-time director, I don’t want to rush or consider time constraints. Those are the challenges, but you’re excited. The night before [shooting], I literally slept 3 hours. I was completely running on adrenaline all day. And that happened last night. (Laughs) I’ve been getting no rest since. That’s what happens when I’m on the other side of the camera. You know, the night before you start something like this, you’re so excited, your head is spinning with all the buildup and then it’s like, the ship is moving, let’s turn it back onto that horizon.

EW: I have to ask, though: There has been a little controversy around the casting and the involvement of the family. Do you read about that online, or through social media? Does it affect you?

ANGELA: It would if I read it. I’m sure if it would if I read it, because I’m a feeling person. But I don’t read it, because I want to stay in this place where I’m working with folk who have come to the table and care about this person. And it’s just not by and large another job. We care about the humanity of this woman and man, telling their story. I know it was going to be told, so I’m so humbled that it was put in my hands to tell it. So I’m going to protect it to the best of my abilities. I’m not going to read those negative comments because everyone has something to say.

EW:As they say, ‘Opinion is cheap.’

ANGELA:Yeah. That’s right, it’s cheap. I wouldn’t expect to do this story and no one cares. No one has a thing to say about it. [Laughs] No.

EW:Do you want your movie to be the definitive Whitney Houston biopic? Would it bother you if her family members produced their own movie?

ANGELA:Not one bit. This is going to be the trailer to the movie they’re going to make. How can this be definitive? Her life, her stardom, was so massive. Nothing that’s never been seen or done before, her talent was so anointed and so galvanizing, like nothing ever heard before. She was like no one ever known before. She deserves to have this movie, and another movie, and everything and anything else.

EW:You’re making this movie for Lifetime. Do you think this movie will be received better on television than through theatrical release?

ANGELA: Well, it comes to you. It’ll come to your home, I think. The access. If you’re interested, it’s right there.

EW:Will you address her death in the film?

ANGELA: No. That’s one of the things I do appreciate about the story at least, with this first story about her. We’re not interested in dragging her life again through, you know, the muck. She had to play out her choices, and the consequences of them, in a very hot, glaring spotlight, but we’re not interested in dragging that through again.

EW:Was that your decision, or had that decision been made before you came on board?

ANGELA: That was in the script. That’s one reason why I’m on board. Otherwise, you walk away. You walk away from it. It’s not worth it to me. Not as a black woman to do that to the life of another black woman, who was amazing and lovely.

EW:In uplifting her memory to the highest standard possible, did you ever think about casting her daughter Bobbi Kristina as Whitney herself?

ANGELA:No, I did not think about that. I did not think about casting her. And probably for a number of reasons, you know. One being that she’s not an actress. I know she’s acted here and there. I know she’s been on their family’s reality show, but she’s not an actress and acting is a craft. It’s an attempt to illuminate the complexities of human behavior and life. And this is a very fast-paced schedule; we have just 21 days to tell this story. It’s more than just saying lines and turning the light on. You have to drive the story—there’s a technical aspect.

EW:Right. You cast Yaya DaCosta as Whitney—and you went with a cast of newcomers for this film as opposed to more established actors. Why is that?

ANGELA: Because I want you to fall into the world of Whitney and Bobby. And I don’t want to stop you at the gate with maybe the image of something familiar, someone you’ve seen from something else. You’ve already got your perception of them as an actor and person, and now you’ve got to put that to the side and squint your eyes and imagine this is Whitney and Bobby, you know what I mean? (Laughs)

And listen. Let me tell you something. We sat in the casting process and it is no easy feat for an actor to come into a room, bare their soul, to open themselves up to these words, this process, and these people. It’s not like, Oh my gosh, I have six good choices for Bobby. No, you don’t, you have two. Searching for weeks and only two rise to the top.

They had different qualities that are like Bobby You’ve gotta be like, which way do you want to go? And the same with Whitney. There are maybe one and then another. But Yaya was far and above the only choice, you know.

EW:It’s been rumored you might have a role in the film as well. Will you?

ANGELA:No, I won’t. I think there was some hope from someone in one of the conference rooms at Lifetime, but no. I know how I get when I’m acting a role. You spend 24 hours thinking about that one thing, that one character, that character’s motivations, obstacles, and this, that, and the other thing. I know some folks do it [act and direct], but this is my first time—so I don’t want to do this and that. And I don’t want to take a role from a working actor.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/06/26/whitney-houston-biopic-director-angela-bassett/

[Bailey]

great post, she still doesn't have the support of the family and that says everything

[Reyna ♔]

I agree with her. The family doesn't always know best. Just because Whitney was their blood it doesn't mean that they know what's best for her career including now. It'd be sweet for Bobbi Kris to play her, but at the end of the day you want a good actress. She's not it.

Good interview.

[DasSad]

I'm glad the family isn't involved. They will try to shape the story their way showing all the positive stuff but you won't get the other side of the story.

[Escapade]

Did you all see Bobbi K's disgusting response?

[Bailey]

Did you all see Bobbi K's disgusting response?

No what's the tea gurl?

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

http://necolebitchie.com/2014/06/bobbi-kristina-disses-angela-bassett/

 

via Twitter

 

 

 

a MsAng “bassketcase” has such a damn nerve. My lord

 

, at least the world doesn’t mistake me for the wrong sex..[sunglasses emjoi] she has #XtraEequipment

 

When I win my first Grammy or Oscar, *Shrugs* hmm whichever comes1st, I’ll be sure 2shout URname out b-tch ! hahUrTestResults= MALE. Lmao [crying laughing emoji]

 

She spelled Equipment wrong

 

She attacked Ms. Bassett's gender

 

Oscar or Grammy? Girl boom...

 

Comments welcome

[Bailey]

oh that's not cute, shouldn't she be in private school Ima need her to not ....just dont

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

oh that's not cute, shouldn't she be in private school Ima need her to not ....just dont

 

She's 21 years old and a product of two celebrities

[Bailey]

I'm glad the family isn't involved. They will try to shape the story their way showing all the positive stuff but you won't get the other side of the story.

that's what I'm getting from the piece, if they focused heavy on the relationship between Bobby and Whitney, they miss out on so much history she had prior to him and so many other relationships she had, like Clive, Arista records, movies with Kevin Costner, there's a huge story to be told here, and it's Angela's first directing too.....

[Bailey]

She's 21 years old and a product of two celebrities

Lourdes, Madonna's daughter is 18 years old, she recently enrolled into the University of Michigan as a music major, with plans to study dance and acting starting this fall

see what I did there?

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

Lourdes, Madonna's daughter is 18 years old, she recently enrolled into the Univeristy of Michigan as a music major, with plans to study dance and acting starting this fall

 

 

see what I did there?

 

You did nothing.. Not everyone, especially rich entertainers, are gonna go to college..

 

The only reason Madonna's Granddaughter is going to college as a music major is because she has to learn how to be semi-talented

 

Bobbi Brown was born into talent and money... I wouldn't go to school if my parents were multimillionaire entertainers... I would follow in their footsteps

[Illi]

that's what I'm getting from the piece, if they focused heavy on the relationship between Bobby and Whitney, they miss out on so much history she had prior to him and so many other relationships she had, like Clive, Arista records, movies with Kevin Costner, there's a huge story to be told here, and it's Angela's first directing too.....

 

This is a tv movie though. It is probably more cost-effective and more beneficial to keep the story more concentrated.

[jarrylf]

That girls a straight up fool, and she's 1 to talk about Genders, Angela at least looks like a women, Bobbi K looks like Bobby B with a bad wig. How do you get a mom as breathtakingly naturally beautiful like Whitney was in her 20's........and get 90% of your looks from Bobby Brown, God knew you wouldn't have much to offer life.

 

 

You did nothing.. Not everyone, especially rich entertainers, are gonna go to college..

 

The only reason Madonna's Granddaughter is going to college as a music major is because she has to learn how to be semi-talented

 

Bobbi Brown was born into talent and money... I wouldn't go to school if my parents were multimillionaire entertainers... I would follow in their footsteps

I see what you did there, clock a bit.

[Bailey]

he didn't clock anything but ignorance, so because your parents have money you don't need an education? And some of the bests artists out her studied music....Now about the clocking that never happen, so let me get what you put out there correct, Lourdes needs to study to be semi-talented, Bobbi Kristina was born into talent and thus doesn't need to, yet Angela states "she's not an actress" ....hmmmmm So given a few million you wouldn't get an education? That says a lot about you, personally no matter how much money I had, I would go to college, the best college and the most expensive education I could have but never would I dare to NOT get an education, that's why so many artists have money issues because as LL once said they know the show part, but not business....

[Aquaria]

All these girls need to watch out for Lourdes tbh

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

he didn't clock anything but ignorance, so because your parents have money you don't need an education? And some of the bests artists out her studied music....Now about the clocking that never happen, so let me get what you put out there correct, Lourdes needs to study to be semi-talented, Bobbi Kristina was born into talent and thus doesn't need to, yet Angela states "she's not an actress" ....hmmmmm So given a few million you wouldn't get an education? That says a lot about you, personally no matter how much money I had, I would go to college, the best college and the most expensive education I could have but never would I dare to NOT get an education, that's why so many artists have money issues because as LL once said they know the show part, but not business....

 

And some of the best artists were born to rock out music... Michael didn't get formal music training.. Janet didn't get a degree.. Beyonce doesn't have a GED/HS diploma... Steve Jobs didn't have a degree.. Many millionaires/billionaires don't have college degrees...

 

That's not why so many celebrities have money issues... wtf? There are millions of college graduates in debt to their ears with good jobs..

 

A piece of paper doesn't make you successful... with money, comes power

[RedSimba]

Seems like she knows what she's doing. I like Yaya - she was great in the Butler (and also a pleasure to look at )

[Bailey]

And some of the best artists were born to rock out music... Michael didn't get formal music training.. Janet didn't get a degree.. Beyonce doesn't have a GED/HS diploma... Steve Jobs didn't have a degree.. Many millionaires/billionaires don't have college degrees...

That's not why so many celebrities have money issues... wtf? There are millions of college graduates in debt to their ears with good jobs..

A piece of paper doesn't make you successful... with money, comes power

money=power

Education + money=more power

It's all what u make of it but few people make huge careers without a degree for most living in a knowledge based economy having an education is a must

[janetDAYZ]

The nerve of Bobbi to be talkin about someone lookin like a man and she looks like Bobby with a Wig on. Little girl...have a few hundred thousand seats ppl get all turnt up over nothing. Angela didn't diss her, she is such a damn brat

[jarrylf]

And some of the best artists were born to rock out music... Michael didn't get formal music training.. Janet didn't get a degree.. Beyonce doesn't have a GED/HS diploma... Steve Jobs didn't have a degree.. Many millionaires/billionaires don't have college degrees...

 

That's not why so many celebrities have money issues... wtf? There are millions of college graduates in debt to their ears with good jobs..

 

A piece of paper doesn't make you successful... with money, comes power

Clocked #Again

 

 

money=power

Education + money=more power

It's all what u make of it but few people make huge careers without a degree for most living in a knowledge based economy having an education is a must

Yet most celebs and kids of celebs don't have  post high school education. Having a HS education is a must but not a college 1 when college doesn't guarantee a job like it use too. A skill('s) is a must.

[janetDAYZ]

All these girls need to watch out for Lourdes tbh

For what?

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

money=power

Education + money=more power

It's all what u make of it but few people make huge careers without a degree for most living in a knowledge based economy having an education is a must

More power?

Not if you're already rich and powerful... A dictator is still holds power with or without an education.. A piece of paper isn't an instant validation. Doesn't make you powerful. There are many hobos on the street with college education

Two master degrees and yet, homeless.

It's not always what you know.. It's who you know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eNPAH46oI8

[jarrylf]

Yup, pleanty of poor & homeless with degrees, pleanty of rich and powerful that are dropouts or never enrolled.

[Bailey]

Consigning for ignorant statements and claiming failed clocks too