Ashton Sanders Talks Playing Bobby Brown in 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody'

Rising star Ashton Sanders continues to prove why he is on Hollywood's radar with his latest role as iconic R&B music artist Bobby Brown. The latest Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody hits theaters this holiday season, and fans eagerly wait to see the beloved late singer's story told the right way.

With producers such as frequent Houston collaborator Clive Davis, and Houston's sister-in-law Pat Houston, critics are hopeful that the movie will do well. When it came down to casting Houston's husband, the team behind the movie knew that Sanders would be the perfect fit to portray R&B's "bad boy."

"It's always pressure to take on a role and portray somebody who is living," Sanders said in our interview with the young actor. But as fate would have it, Sanders' role as rapper RZA on Hulu's Wutang: An American Saga, helped him prepare for his latest project. "I was able to put nerves aside and focus on my job," he explains."

Taking on Brown for any actor is no easy feat. The legendary singer is as infamous as he is famous. A life lived in the spotlight since he was an adolescent, Brown's ups and downs played out right before many of his fan's eyes. As we know, the story is not always black and white but sensationalism in Hollywood and in the media goes hand and hand. For Sanders, he knew what the assignment entailed.

"My job was to stay true to Bobby Brown and his actual character as possible, as opposed to the narrative that the media or society has on him," Sanders says.

Watch our interview below and find out how musical theater helped Sanders in his role, what he learned about Bobby Brown and more.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody hits theaters December 23.

Photo Credit: Sandy Kim