Jordin Sparks Remembers Working With Whitney Houston On SPARKLE

For any performer, making their feature film debut is one of the most exciting times of their lives.  But for Jordin Sparks, that moment is made even more special, and very bittersweet, by the fact that she had a chance to work with one of her heroes, Whitney Houston.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Sparks said that she is nothing but proud of her first film:

“I am super excited…I finally got to see the film and we all knew it was something special when we were filming it, but to finally, to see the finished [product] — I just have this overwhelming sense of pride. Twenty years from now I get to say that my first film was this and it’s incredible I got to work with one of my idols. I got to make new friends and family and it’s just it’s, it’s amazing.”

But one aspect that makes her even more proud was getting to work with the late Houston, who Sparks says set the tone on set every single day:

“There was one thing that she wasn’t… nervous…She was not nervous at all. She was the one who would set the tone for the day and if we were nervous she’d say, ‘You got this… Believe in your gift and your talent.’ That’s the type of person that she was.”

Sparks says that Houston was always there to give, and showed up to give her support even on days where she had nothing to film:

“She was there [on] days when she had no scenes to film and she just wanted to be there to watch us — that was how encouraging she was…I remember when we did ‘Giving Him Something He Can Feel,’ and she was so excited. She came up and she hugged all of us and she sat and she watched it just for the sake of being there and watching it and being so passionate about it.”

Sparks’ first film, and sadly, Whitney Houston’s last, SPARKLE, will open in theaters next Friday.