Entertainment Movies See the Cast of ''I Wanna Dance with Somebody' ' Side-by-Side with the Real-Life People Naomi Ackie portrays the iconic Whitney Houston in the biographical musical Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and the transformation is truly remarkable. See photos of the cast side-by-side with the real-life people they're playing By Kelsie Gibson Kelsie Gibson Kelsie Gibson is the SEO Editor of PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2021. She was formerly at POPSUGAR, Bustle, Tiger Beat and Her Campus. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 19, 2022 11:00AM EST Close Photo: Emily Aragones/TRISTAR; Michael Zagaris/Getty 01 of 07 Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston in "How Will I Know" Music Video TRISTAR; Rtmatthews/Mediapunch/Shutterstock In the trailer for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Naomi Ackie can be seen donning a replica of Whitney Houston's memorable silver outfit from her "How Will I Know" music video, including that iconic silver lamé hair bow. Though most of the performances in the movie use Houston's voice, Ackie told PEOPLE she put in "a lot of rehearsal" time to prepare for the role: "A lot of [Houston's] music [was] on repeat in my house, especially the ones that I knew were going to be featured in the film." 02 of 07 Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci as Whitney Houston and Clive Davis TRISTAR; Getty Another scene from the trailer shows the moment when a young Houston signed her contract with Arista Records at the Arista Studio in New York on April 10, 1983. Stanley Tucci portrays Clive Davis in the film, and he didn't have to go far for inspiration: the legendary record producer also serves as one of the producers for the movie. 03 of 07 Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston in "So Emotional" Music Video TRISTAR; SME The poster for the film portrays Ackie donning a white tank top, leather jacket and jeans, which Houston famously wore in her "So Emotional" music video as well as the cover art for the track. Of all the looks recreated for the movie, Ackie told PEOPLE she loved wearing Houston's dress from her wedding to Bobby Brown. "I really enjoyed wearing that dress," she said. "I couldn't sit in it but it was very pretty." 04 of 07 Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston During Her South Africa Concert Special Emily Aragones/TRISTAR; SME Part of the film also recreates Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa, a concert special Houston filmed in South Africa to honor President Nelson Mandela in November 1994. The concert was released in December 1994 with all proceeds being donated to South African charities including two children's museums, the President's Trust Fund, the Kagiso Foundation and several orphanages. 05 of 07 Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston During Her "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" Performance Emily Aragones/TRISTAR; SME Ackie dons a similar gold jacket to one Houston wore during the Live from the Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert, in which she performed a showstopping rendition of her hit "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." 06 of 07 Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston During Her American Music Awards Performance Emily Aragones/TRISTAR; Mark J Terrill/AP/Shutterstock Ackie bears a striking resemblance to Houston as she recreates her memorable 1994 performance at the American Music Awards, where she performed a medley of "I Loves You Porgy," "I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "I Have Nothing." 07 of 07 Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston During Her Super Bowl Performance Emily Aragones/TRISTAR; Michael Zagaris/Getty One moment fans are eager to see recreated in the movie is Houston's iconic performance of the National Anthem during the 1991 Super Bowl, where she donned a patriotic suit and headband on the field. Director Kasi Lemmons told PEOPLE that Houston's Super Bowl performance and her concert in South Africa were among her favorite performances to recreate for the movie, noting that the latter was "very emotional" to film. "All of those moments were great to recreate," she said. "It was a great fun. I had a great time shooting it."