Why Naomi Ackie Almost Said No to Playing Whitney Houston

Naomi Ackie stars as Whitney Houston in the new biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, but she almost didn't take on the role.

Why? Because portraying an icon is quite the task. So much so, Naomi almost didn't audition.

"I was like 'Absolutely Not. That is too big,'" she told Vanity Fair. "That took a long time to get my head around. The most challenging part of portraying Whitney Houston is portraying Whitney Houston," she added. "Our goal has been to celebrate Whitney for all that she was. The songstress, producer, actress, fashion icon and the person."

I Wanna Dance with Somebody hits theaters Friday.