Rihanna Will Only Play 'God-Fearing' Whitney Over Her 'Dead Body,' Says Cissy Houston
Rihanna, 24-year-old Barbadian singer, has expressed an interest in playing the late Whitney Houston in an upcoming biopic. However, Houston's mother, Cissy Houston, is reportedly against the idea of the young star taking on the role.
The 78-year-old mother of the late singer and actress who died in February reportedly said she would rather die than witness Rihanna portray her daughter in a film. A source spoke to the National Enquirer about Cissy's thoughts on the young singer playing the late Houston in a biopic.
"Over my dead body," Cissy reportedly told a source about the idea of Rihanna playing Houston in the film.
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The source said Rihanna's bad-girl image may represent everything Cissy did not want to remember about her daughter.
"Cissy believes Rihanna celebrates everything she hated about Whitney's life -- the drugging, the boxing, the abusive relationship," the source told the National Enquirer. "Cissy does not think Whitney should be represented by someone like Rihanna. In spite of what anyone thought about Whitney, she sees her as a God-fearing Christian who loved the Lord."
Rihanna expressed an interest in the role at a recent press conference in Japan, where she was promoting her movie "Battleship."
"That would be something that I would have to give my entire life to do, because I would really want to pull it off," Rihanna said. "That's a huge, huge role, and whoever does it has to do a good job."
Rihanna also told the Press Association about why the role was so important to her.
"My first song that I remember falling love with was a Whitney Houston song: 'I Will Always Love You,'" Rihanna said. "It was really inspiring and it made me develop a passion for music, so really, she's partly responsible for me being here in this industry."
Still Houston's mother has expressed a need for the family to be involved in the creation of any movie portraying the late singer's life.
"Cissy said if there is a movie made about Whitney, she would insist on approving the actress," the National Inquirer source said. "And Rihanna certainly would not be on the list."
