Courtney B. Vance’s memories of his friend and colleague Whitney Houston are bittersweet.
“I loved her so much,” says the Emmy-winning actor, 63, when asked about starring alongside the late singer in the hit 1996 film. The preacher’s wife.
“I was in a state of euphoric shock about playing her husband,” recalls Vance, who played the titular preacher, the Reverend Henry Biggs. Houston played his wife Julia, alongside Denzel Washington as the angelic Dudley.
The acclaimed film, directed by Penny Marshall, changed the course of Vance’s personal and professional trajectories, he tells PEOPLE. “It was a turning point in my life and Whitney was a big, big part of it.”
Before starring in the film (a remake of the 1947 classic starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young), Vance followed Houston’s meteoric music career only as a fan. He remembers seeing her self-titled debut album in 1985 – “that hair pulled back, just beautiful,” he says – and, when he met her, thinking: “She’s so beautiful, so sweet, such a wonderful, wonderful human being .’”
But People vs. OJ Simpson the star adds, “People go through all kinds of things.” Vance “didn’t know the extent” of Houston’s drug and alcohol use, he remembers.
“We were simply together on the sets and respected each other,” says the actor. “But I didn’t go into the depth of what was going on in her life.”
The death of Whitney Houston: the details behind her sudden death
Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington in “The Preacher’s Wife.”. Fotos International/Getty Image
When Houston died in February 2012 from accidental drowning, compounded by heart disease and cocaine use, Vance was devastated. He and his wife, Angela Bassett, released a statement on Facebook at the time: “There were life issues to deal with and she had to deal with them on the ‘world stage.’ It comes with the territory of being a mega-star.”
The statement continued: “Yes, Whitney has had life’s problems. So what. Welcome to the world! Angela and I prefer to remember people for the good things they did and how they blessed people – and my God, did she ever bless us all!”
Soon after, when it came time for Houston’s funeral, Vance decided not to attend, he told PEOPLE. “I said, ‘Angela, I can’t go. She means so much to me. I want to remember her and I don’t want to watch the drama that surrounds funerals.’
“Maybe it hurt my spirit,” he adds. “I have our time together in my mind and it was wonderful.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(804x176:806x178)/courtney-b-vance-mag-roll-tout-5-111423-00af9105485143e1ace60a414ca4ffcd.jpg)
Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett at the premiere of “The Preacher’s Wife” in 1996.
Patrick McMullan/Getty
Courtney B. Vance shares the story of her father’s suicide in a powerful new book Invisible pain (Exclusive)
asked Bassett, who co-starred with Houston in Forest Whitaker’s 1995 film. Waiting for exhalation, to attend in his stead. “I knew Angela would be there representing the family. So I said, ‘I’m fine. Go. Give the family love and everything.’”
Much of Vance’s work in the years since has involved advocating for the mental health and well-being of his communities. His new book, co-authored with Dr. Robin L. Smith, Invisible Pain: Black Men Recognizing Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Powerit is designed as a guide for those who struggle in secret like Houston.
Vance will next star in a live-action film adaptation Lilo & Stitch.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education