I’m not gonna lie. I thought the first picture of Yaya DaCosta as Whitney Houston in the upcoming Lifetime biopic looked … pretty good. The hair, the beaming smile, the white tank, the red lips and 1980s-appropriate bushy eyebrows. I mean, it’s close.
But I’m starting to wonder if director Angela Bassett is rushing things now that I’ve seen the actor hired to portray Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown. Belize-born Arlen Escarpata, 33, has a long T.V. résumé, including appearances on “Cold Case,” “The Shield,” “Judging Amy,” “The Client List” and the new Halle Berry series “Extant.”
Escarpata has an impressive high-top fade in the picture, but … well, we’re not sure he nails Brown’s legendary smirk and swagger in this first shot. Check it out and compare it to a classic picture of the real couple from 1994.
Lifetime/Jack Zeman
AFP/VINCE BUCCI
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