It was just in November when a group of journalists and I spent a day at a church in the outskirts of Detroit, where the film Sparkle was shooting. We spent half a day in interviews with the cast until finally it was announced that “Ms. Houston” was here. There are rumors of what charisma is like: Being in Whitney Houston's company, the air took on a sharper more pronounced feel, everyone was seemingly in a trance in her presence because it was that absorbing. With warm glowing skin and exquisite features, visually she was arresting, but it was her candor that was so affecting. Equally ready to hand out praise or tough love, she seemed compelled to speak the truth. Her exuberance for the project sprung from her great respect for the civil rights movement (the era in which Sparkle is set), as well as the potential for this film to showcase a beautiful image of African Americans. This is a film, she conveyed, that will make families want to go to the movies. Her charm is one that now in the current landscape of calculated personas, feels antiquated and unmatchable. After a day of interviews, I recall noting what a self-possessed sense of ease Houston had; from both the brief time with her and the conversations with her castmates, she seemed a natural leader who had visibly, and yet quietly, charmed and encouraged the rest of the cast.
Hit the jump for the full interview between Houston (also an ...
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