Whitney Sings, Acts And, Yes, Even Talks
Houston Speaks Her Mind On Acting, The Press And Her Little Bundle Of Joy

Date: January 04, 1996
By Mal Vincent

From Seattle Times
Submitted by: Danielle C.


NEW YORK - "Honey, don't mess with me. I don't take no mess. Let's get that straight from the start," Whitney Houston said as she snapped her fingers to order a quick-stepping aide to fetch a cup of coffee.

Miss Pop Diva has the credentials and the bank account to back up her no-nonsense stance. She is arguably the biggest recording star in the world (80 million albums sold worldwide and five Grammy awards). With her new movie, "Waiting to Exhale," taking over the top spot against heavy season competition and a new No. 1 record, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," her highly successful career is very much alive.

Houston's first movie, 1992's "The Bodyguard," co-starring Kevin Costner, took in a whopping $400 million at the box office and spawned the bestselling movie soundtrack album of all time. She hasn't been in a rush to find a second movie.

"I've been touring for two years, the whole gig, and, incidentally, I had a baby," she said in explaining her absence from the screen.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not itching to be a movie star. I sing. That's what God gave me - really. I'm a singer. I act when I interpret a song, but that's a whole lot easier than acting a role - to me.

"Movies are scary. I had no idea 'Bodyguard' would do what it did. I thought it was probably a one-time thing for me. All of a sudden, I woke up and I screamed, to myself, 'I'm a movie star. I don't want to be a movie star. I already got enough to put up with.'"

No problem with diet pills

The paper-thin Houston, 32, doesn't like to do interviews.

"The press won't let you be regular," she explained. "All I want to be is regular, and here they come, following you around. Writing stuff about my marriage. They've made me into this image person. That used to be hard to take."

She has a suit pending, according to her, against the New York Post for a story it printed claiming that she had overdosed on diet pills and almost died. "I have no weight problem, as you can see," she said. "This frame ain't going nowhere. The story claimed Eddie Murphy, of all people, rushed to my side and that I had diet problems. My mother read it, and believed it. She thought, 'Well, my daughter has really freaked. The business has finally got her.'"

Her soaring voice, famed for its long-held notes, rocketed Houston to stardom at age 22 with "Saving All My Love for You." In 1987, her album "Whitney" became the first by a woman ever to debut on the charts at No. 1. The single "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" established her as the first person to have seven consecutive No. 1 hits, breaking the record formerly held by the Beatles and the Bee Gees.

Her 10th No. 1 single, "I Will Always Love You," from "The Bodyguard" soundtrack album, sold more than 4 million copies in the United States alone.

Married to a "modern guy"

On her much-publicized marriage to singer Bobby Brown, 26, she makes only one statement: "I am Mrs. Bobby Brown. Does that answer your question? We are still very much married. He's a modern guy."

Houston, though, is eager to talk about her 2-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

"There are two big events in my life. The first was giving birth. Giving birth was, maybe, the worst choice. After 14 hours of labor, you think, 'I want to change my mind.' But I wanted to do it because it's the one thing guys can't do, and that says something. After Bobbi Kristina was born, the entire world changed for me. You stop living for yourself and you start living for your child. It's a wonderful feeling.

"The second, and really the first, most important thing in my life was when I gave myself to the Lord, at age 14. He wants you to love him, and when you do, you get love back. Because of him, I can live with myself. I can sleep at night."

Despite the fact that she does not want "movie stardom," she is now at work in "The Preacher's Wife," a remake of the 1947 movie "The Bishop's Wife," which starred Loretta Young and Cary Grant. She stars with Denzel Washington.

Asked about the rumored "Bodyguard" sequel, she exclaimed, "Get out! No, nothing will come of that. I haven't even talked with Kevin Costner in awhile."

With that, the Pop Diva of the moment was off and running, with bodyguards discreetly at a distance.