Vivica A. Fox gushes over the release of the upcoming TV One biopic chronicling the life of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown.
Fox, who co-stars in the made-for-TV film, recently sat down with “ET” to talk about the film as well as her long time friendship with the late Whitney Houston. “I think a lot of people are thinking that we’re going to focus on things that are negative but we didn’t,” Fox revealed. “We absolutely approached this with love and respect.”
Directed by Taye Hodges, the project stars newcomer Joy Rovaris as Bobbi Kristina and Nadji Jeter as her boyfriend, Nick Gordon. Hassan Johnson is slated to step into some big shoes, playing Bobby Brown, and Demetria McKinney nabbed the role of Houston. Fox, on the other hand, signed on to play Pat Houston, the late iconic singer’s sister-in-law and former manager.
“Her connection to her mom was so powerful and so strong that I think that once Whitney left, half of her or more left,” Rovaris told the entertainment news outlet of the film, which details the final years of Houston’s life that resulted in her daughter’s downward spiral. As previously reported, Bobbi Kristina died just three years later, under hauntingly similar circumstances. She was 22.
“Whitney would have her low moments,” added Rovaris. “Krissy would kind of step in and take care of her mom, and when Nick came along he would be there with her. I think for Krissy it was like ‘mom trusted him [Gordon], I don’t have to worry about trying to find someone else I can trust. It was kind of convenient, I think.”
Meanwhile, Jeter vowed to show a more “likable” side of Gordon to provide a little insight as to why Whitney “had this weird love” for him. As fans may already know, Houston took Gordon under her wing at age 12, and following her death, Bobbi Kristina was seldom seen without him close by. The two eventually began a romantic relationship of their own.
“I got to know his background and really got into that mindset of who he really was and how Krissy saw him,” Jeter explained. “It was a challenge but I got there.”
“He was smart. His darker side didn’t really show until after Whitney passed,” Rovaris added of Gordon. “He was family.”
Fox also revealed that she recently crossed paths with Brown, who initially tried to stop the film in court. The two cleared the air on the film. “I said, ‘You good?’ and he said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘Alright. You know we got nothing but love for you, and he said, ‘Alright,’” she recalled.
“I have nothing but love and respect for the family and I want him to know that,“ Fox reiterated. Despite the controversy, Fox has one desire: that Bobbi Kristina’s loved ones will “give the movie a chance.”
“I knew Bobby, I knew Whitney, I knew Bobbi Kristina. I would never be involved with anything that would defame their legacy,” she said. “Those are my friends.”
“Bobbi Kristina” is set to premiere on TV One on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Will you be watching? Sound off in the comment section below.
