Six years after “Moonlight” put him on the Hollywood map, Ashton Sanders faces the daunting task of portraying a real-life R&B icon and one-half of a legendary music power couple.
The actor returns to the big screen this month in “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” the hotly anticipated biopic of Whitney Houston. Naturally, much of the early buzz on the film has emphasized actor Naomi Ackie’s performance as Houston, who died in 2012.
Sanders co-stars as fellow musician Bobby Brown, who was married to Houston from 1992 to 2007. Appearing on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” Thursday, the actor said he auditioned for his role at director Kasi Lemons’ request but was nonetheless initially hesitant to sign on.
“I was pretty nervous to take on the part given, you know, everything it was going to be,” Sanders explained. He added that such fears were assuaged, thanks to the film’s creative team: “I think we really created something beautiful that will be nostalgic, well-respected and euphoric. It’s a beautiful film.”
Watch Sanders on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” below.
