by A revitalized Whitney Houston has been on a promotional trek, promoting her upcoming film “Sparkle,” which will be released in 2012. She recently spoke with Access Hollywood about taking on the role, insisting she is “humbled” by it.
“I feel honored, I feel humbled that I am able to still do what I do,” says Houston. “It’s fun actuallyâ¦I think everyone is gonna love this film; I think it’s gonna be a loved film.”
Houston, who will play a “not-so encouraging mother” to title character ‘Sparkle,’ played by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, adds later about her role, “I felt it, I felt the role, I felt the love a woman has for her children in the 60’sâ¦trying to keep her family together; single mother.”
When asked about Aaliyah, who was first tapped to play the title character, Houston says “When we brought it to her, she was so enthusiastic about it and she wanted to do it so badly, she was our Sparkle. Unfortunately it just didn’t go that way.”
Besides dealing with her out trials and tribulations, Houston, who was involved with the project as a producer when it was originally set up at Warner Bros. years ago, adds that they left the film alone because of Aaliyah’s untimely passing.
“I put it down, I said my Sparkle was gone to a better place and we just left it alone,” says Houston.
Directed by Salim Akil, the remake comes from the 1976 music-themed film that is inspired by the story of The Supremes. The original movie centers on three sisters who began singing in their church choir in Harlem in the late 1950s before finding fame as a girl group. Their sudden rise, however, unravels their personal lives.
The upcoming remake will be set in 1968 Detroit during the rising era of Motown. Its story will follow the youngest sister, a music prodigy named Sparkle as she struggles to become a famous star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart.
