Whitney Houston Biopic Has Support From Tyra Banks, Arlen Escarpeta

Back in July, Entertainment Tonight reported that Whitney Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, released a statement expressing anger toward Lifetime for going forward with making a biopic about her late daughter despite the “family’s objections.”

“No one connected with this movie knew Whitney or anything about her relationship with Bobby,” the statement read. “In the two years since Whitney’s death, many people have stepped forward to speak about their close relationship with her. I find it difficult to believe people who knew and supposedly loved her would participate in a movie about her done by folks who didn’t know her.”

Cissy concluded that she and the rest of the Houston family have grown tired of the “continuing misinformation and comments” coming from those who didn’t know Whitney in real life.

“Please, please let her rest,” the statement read.

But there are two people who have come forward to show support for the Whitney Houston biopic. They are America’s Next Top Model host Tyra Banks, and one of the film’s actors, Arlen Escarpeta.

Banks used to be a mentor for the film’s lead actress, Yaya DaCosta, on the hit reality show. Now, according to a report from The Huffington Post, the reality show host said during an airing of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live that she is “super proud” of DaCosta for taking on the role of Whitney Houston.

“[She] won the acting challenge on America’s Next Top Model back in the day, so we knew there was something special,” Banks added.

Arlen Escarpeta, who plays Bobby Brown in the Whitney Houston biopic, told The Hollywood Reporter that he believes the film does the late singer “justice,” but he also understands the family’s “reservations.”

“That’s close to home,” he added. “That’s family. You have to respect family when it comes to matters of the heart. Respect to those guys absolutely. I understand that you do want to keep a bit of distance. If and when they do see the film, they’ll see it came from a place of love.”

To those who plan on tuning in to see the Whitney Houston biopic, Escarpeta simply said: “Prepare yourselves.”

“We shot the film with love, we approached it with love and I really feel like we have something special there,” he added.

Escarpeta also praised DaCosta for her portrayal of Whitney Houston, saying she “did a phenomenal job.”

“I have no complaints,” he added. “I’m truly head over heels just blessed and happy.”

In a related report from The Inquisitr, the Whitney Houston biopic is being directed by Houston’s Waiting to Exhale co-star, Angela Bassett, who said the film will be a “full look at the artist,” even though it is being labeled as an “unofficial biopic.”

I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story is scheduled to premiere on Lifetime in 2015, according to its IMDb page.

[Featured image credits: Essence and Movies Dosthana]

[Inline image credit: Lifetime via Zap2it]