Whitney Houston and co-star Jordin Sparks sat down with Entertainment Tonight to talk about their upcoming remake of the 1976 movie Sparkle.
In the interview, a shapely and healthy looking Houston mentioned she’s putting her heart and soul into the project. The “I Will Always Love You” singer spoke very highly of the movie’s all-star cast.
Click here to view a Grio slideshow: Whitney’s top 10 worst moments
“It’s bigger than we thought, just from what we’re experiencing as a vibe, as a feeling, than we even expected.”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH HOUSTON’S ET INTERVIEW
Houston also spoke highly of Sparks who is playing the lead character ‘Sparkle’.
“That face, that smile, the innocence, but the love for music, the love for singing, her personality, just being Jordin and transferring that to Sparkle, it was not a hard transition because Sparkle is willing to learn and wants to know as she [Jordin] is now.”
This will be the first movie role for Houston in over 16 years. Her last movie, The Preacher’s Wife, alongside Denzel Washington grossed nearly $50 million domestically.
All of Houston’s movies have faired well at the box office, including her breakout role in the 1992 hit The Bodyguard with actor Kevin Costner. That movie grossed more than $121 million in the US and $289 million internationally.
Houston may have another hit on her hands.
Critics are already buzzing about the potential for Sparkle to be a bigger hit than expected. The remake about a girl group gone wrong has been 13 years in the making. It was finally greenlit earlier this year with husband and wife duo Salim and Mara Brock-Akil at the helm of the production.
Houston aka “The Voice” has had a number of rocky periods, fueled by drug abuse and a failed marriage to ex-New Edition crooner Bobby Brown, throughout her career. Following mega-success in the 1980s, Houston made a return to superstardom in 1998 with the critically acclaimed album My Love is Your Love.
However, her career tapered off after that but the singer made yet another return in 2009 with I Look to You. Although the album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, it did not receive the critical acclaim of her previous releases.
Will Sparkle be the jumpstart that Houston needs? That remains to be seen.
