Jordin Sparks Talks ‘Sparkle’ Movie Role And How Whitney Houston Surprised Her

By: Taren Vaughan

Jordin Sparks’ ‘Sparkle‘ role that she landed is yet another accomplishment that the talented young singer now has under her belt. She first got her taste of fame after walking away the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. And ever since then, Sparks has had success with music, linking up with Chris Brown on a “No Air” track that took off, selling over three million digital copies in the United States. Now Jordin Sparks is getting her chance to shine on the big screen as she plays “Sparkle”, the aspiring singer and daughter of “Emma”, played by the late legendary diva Whitney Houston.

In an interview that she did with Billboard.com,  Jordin talked about her experience working with an artist that she adored and idolized since she was a child and said it was “the most amazing blessing since winning”. And though she was nervous around Whitney Houston at first, Jordin said that Whitney was such a down-to-earth person and talked about the moment Whitney caught her softly singing one of her classics, surprising Jordin:

“I was singing ‘I Have Nothing’ under my breath,” Sparks explains. “I didn’t realize she was right behind me and she grabbed my arm and [says] (gasp), ‘I forgot I sang that song!’… She went on to just describe [how] she walked into the recording studio when she was six months pregnant, and she was tired and the baby was kicking her. And she did that song in three takes she told me. I thought I got some work to do.”

She also said that the unexpected passing of Whitney Houston took a major toll on the entire cast and those involved in producing the film. Yet Jordin said that although this was a very sad time for them, she herself still found happiness in the fact that Whitney was able to be apart of a project that was so dear to her heart:

“It’s heavy, but at the same time it’s such a celebration of her because it was her baby and she’s so proud of it.”

Jordan also spoke about the highs and lows of Whitney’s career and how despite everything, Whitney was still one of a kind:

“We all know about the ups and downs,” Sparks says, but adds that Houston “was real about that she never hid it…  That was really cool to see, somebody who just knew who they were. She was this amazing supernova diva and the voice, yet she would walk in the room and you would feel like she was your best friend.”

Although sadly Whitney Houston did not live to see the movie be released, the experience Jordin Sparks had working with her will surely be one that Jordin will always remember.

‘Sparkle’ is set to hit theaters this Friday, August 17th.