Naomi Ackie channels Whitney Houston in ‘liquid metal’ dress at movie premiere

She’s ready to dance with somebody.

At Tuesday’s red carpet premiere of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” in New York, Naomi Ackie — who plays Whitney Houston in the movie — honored the late music icon by putting a spin on one of her most iconic outfits.

The British actress, 30, stunned in a Swarovski crystal-encrusted Schiaparelli Haute Couture creation styled by Nicky Yates.

The dress was a touching tribute to Houston’s silver armored costume from her 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” the soundtrack for which earned Houston Album of the Year at the Grammys.

“I was talking to Nicky about the idea of liquid metal, because I was thinking about the ‘Queen of the Night’ look in The Bodyguard,” Ackie told British Vogue.

naomi ackie
The British actress stunned on the red carpet in the “liquid metal” dress.

naomi ackie
The British actress stunned on the red carpet in the “liquid metal” dress.


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The British actress stunned on the red carpet in the “liquid metal” dress.


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“It’s that balance of femininity and a kind of toughness too, especially with the flowers crafted from metal. It just felt very womanly and sexy, but also like being protected — a kind of armor.”

whitney houston in the bodyguard
The dress was a touching tribute to Houston’s “Queen of the Night” costume from “The Bodyguard.”

whitney houston in the bodyguard
The dress was a touching tribute to Houston’s “Queen of the Night” costume from “The Bodyguard.”


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whitney houston in the bodyguard
The dress was a touching tribute to Houston’s “Queen of the Night” costume from “The Bodyguard.”

whitney houston in the bodyguard
The dress was a touching tribute to Houston’s “Queen of the Night” costume from “The Bodyguard.”


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The design house shared details about the gleaming gown on Instagram. The couture creation was “made entirely of strands of 21,950 Swarovski crystals and 212,500 silver glass bugle beads,” and took a whopping 4,900 hours to make.

Schiaparelli also posted a behind-the-scenes video to show how designer Daniel Roseberry made the “masterpiece of the season.”

The caption described the finished piece as “something that looks easy to wear, but is deceptively not easy to create.”

“My Christmas lewk,” one person quipped in the comments.

i wanna dance with somebody premiere
The glittering gown took nearly 5,000 hours to make.

whitney houston movie premiere gown
The glittering gown took nearly 5,000 hours to make.


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whitney houston movie premiere gown
The glittering gown took nearly 5,000 hours to make.

whitney houston movie premiere gown
The glittering gown took nearly 5,000 hours to make.


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“Whitney’s beaming down on y’all from heaven with that million watt smile of hers🔥🙌,” another wrote.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” hits theaters December 23.

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