Becoming Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance With Somebody

THE HAIR

Can you truly talk Whitney Houston without talking wigs? Star Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) thinks not. "I took home the wigs!" says Ackie, 30. "There's a gorgeous kind of fluffy one, when she used to have the brown bob but Afro-y kind of texture. I took home some of the honey-blond numbers from her looks in the '80s. I've taken home a really long one from a scene for a music video. I have about five."

THE CLOTHES

For a 1990 performance of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" at Radio City Music Hall, costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones (Judas and the Black Messiah) re-created Houston's iconic matador jacket with gold embroidery. "I just remember how cool that style was during that time," says Jones. "She was rocking it, Prince was trying to rock it as well. The '90s fashion lover in me was just really excited about re-creating that."

THE VOICE

Ackie nails the legendary singer's mannerisms and delivery, making it less a performance and more an embodiment. "I worked with some amazing dialect coaches," says Ackie. "Then it was looking at all of the interviews, the different levels of her voice, and how her voice changes over time. Then it was just about repetition."

I Wanna Dance With Somebody hits theaters Dec. 23.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Naomi Ackie re-creates Whitney Houston's biggest moments in I Wanna Dance With Somebody trailer
• Nicki Minaj honors Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston in MTV VMAs Video Vanguard Award speech
• Bobby Brown was 'scared to death' to marry Whitney Houston, locked himself in bathroom on wedding day