Great Company with Jamie Laing

Guest: Naomi Ackie

Episode: “Playing Whitney Houston Changed Everything – I’m a Different Person Now”
Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Jamie Laing / Jampot Productions

Episode Overview

In this raw and reflective conversation, Jamie Laing sits down with acclaimed British actress Naomi Ackie to discuss resilience, anxiety, the cost—and joy—of ambition, and the personal transformation she underwent playing Whitney Houston. The episode delves into Ackie’s journey from a fearful, introverted child in Walthamstow to a BAFTA-winning performer, exploring grief, creative obsession, the realities of the acting business, and the wisdom she carries from her late mother. The dialogue moves fluidly from industry revelations to profound emotional truths, all delivered in an open, relatable, and often humorous tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Psychological Cost of Playing Whitney Houston

• Extreme Preparation & Its Consequences
  • Ackie shares how obsessively preparing for the Whitney Houston biopic led to panic attacks, significant weight loss, and deep emotional upheaval.
  • “I gave 1,000% when I needed to give 90. I lost like two and a bit stone to play her. I was so hungry. I was directly challenged with the idea of perfection. And that nearly destroyed me.” (02:58)
  • She discusses the physical and emotional strain: famine dieting, being away from home, and her realization that perfectionism can be just as destructive as it is motivating.
• Learning to Set Limits
  • “Your job costs something, and you get to decide how much you want to pay. I will never put myself in that position again.” (47:24)
  • Now, she consciously manages how much of herself she pours into each project.

2. Anxiety, Panic Attacks & Mental Health

• On-Set Experience
  • Ackie describes suffering panic attacks as she grappled with the pressure of embodying an icon.
  • “When I have panic attacks, I have to go down and touch the floor…It feels like you’re like an atomic bomb and you’re just working so fucking hard to put a stopper on it because it could destroy everything and everyone all around you is what panic attacks feel like to me.” (48:09)
• Therapeutic Journey: EMDR & Acceptance
  • She recounts how EMDR therapy helped reframe her childhood fear as courage and developed self-compassion.
  • “I was scared, but I did it anyway. I’m fucking brave. I’m the bravest person I know.” (38:13)

3. Grief & Lessons from Her Mother

• Losing Her Mum
  • Ackie discusses how her mother, a seamstress and "the best woman in the world," taught her the value of patience and living life in service to art.
  • "She was like, life informs art. You cannot do your art without living your life. You have to live your life." (63:44)
• Vividness of Grief
  • "[As my mother was dying], the world was the most vivid it had ever been … these things were really vivid and overwhelmingly clear and honest." (68:09)
  • Ackie finds meaning and ongoing support in her mother's lessons and small spiritual moments since her passing.

4. On Acting, Identity, & the Industry

• Introversion & Coping Mechanisms
  • Naomi is candid about her social anxiety, finding red carpets and large groups overwhelming but feeling most herself in one-on-one company or on set.
  • “I was a very fearful child…a fearful person by nature.” (03:38; 37:23)
• The Burden of Perfectionism & External Validation
  • She reveals striving for constant achievement did not bring internal peace.
  • “I thought drama school or getting my first theatre job or doing a film would fix me, right? And it didn’t…It made me really sad, and it made me feel like, well, what’s the fucking point, then?” (57:23)
• Navigating Social Media & Marketing
  • "I just want to act…But now we're in a space where the work doesn't just do the thing—that's not the reality of the world we live in." (18:37)
  • She expresses discomfort with the new expectation that actors must market themselves online.

5. Career Highlights & Anecdotes

• Working with Icons:
  • On being starstruck by Channing Tatum, Zoe Kravitz, and Robert Pattinson:
  • "Zoe and Channing of it all on that job was like, oh, my God…And they want to hang out and talk. With me? Okay." (10:03)
• Personal Growth in Craft
  • Naomi discusses her evolution from needing tear sticks to cry on cue ("Had to use tear stick" (52:47)), to being able to access deep emotion freely, and her philosophy about being in the moment vs. over-preparing.
• Upcoming & Recent Projects
  • Excited about her turn as a boxer in an upcoming film (51:04), and roles in “Blink Twice” and “I Love Boosters.”

6. Philosophy, Life Lessons, and Self-Reflection

• Beauty in the Ordinary
  • Her mother’s mantra: “There is beauty in the everyday ordinary…make it small. Daily, daily offerings up to the craft that you're saying that you want to master.” (63:44)
• Internal Validation & Letting Go of Ego
  • “I'm really trying hard to separate ego from achievement. So, you know, winning an award…doesn’t make me think that finally someone thinks I’m important.” (57:28)
• Living with Fear
  • “I’ve always attributed that feeling of fear to being weak…but the realization came: yeah, but I do things anyway. I’m fucking brave.” (38:13)

Notable Quotes

• On perfectionism & playing Whitney Houston:
  “I gave 1,000% when I needed to give 90… that nearly destroyed me.” (02:58)
• On bravery and fear:
  “I’m scared, but I’m doing things anyway. I’m fucking brave.” (38:13)
• On fame and achievement:
  “I thought…doing a film would fix me, right? And it didn’t…It made me really sad and…it’s not the space that you need to do that in.” (57:23)
• On the wisdom of her late mother:
  “She was like, life informs art. You cannot do your art without living your life. You have to live your life.” (63:44)
• On dealing with loss:
  “You can’t control it. You have to sit with it. Don’t fight. [Grief] has lessons and it is proof of the love that you have.” (69:56)
• On being starstruck:
  “Oh my God. And they want to hang out and talk. With me? Okay.” (10:03)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• On-set panic, perfectionism, and physical toll of Whitney — 02:58–03:17, 42:26–48:08
• Introversion and struggles at red carpet events — 19:44, 19:53–21:28
• Her mother’s influence and lessons — 63:02–66:38
• Therapy & EMDR, reframing fear as bravery — 36:25–38:13
• Perspectives on fame, validation, and measuring achievement — 57:23–60:57
• The high and lows of acting with stars — 10:03, 11:42
• Grieving, spirituality, and finding meaning in loss — 69:56–72:40
• Learning from acting (“tears don’t always mean emotion”) — 52:21–55:13
• Advice and reflection for young people — 77:04–78:35
• Optimism & limitations in life and career — 78:54–79:28
• Quick-fire Q&A (fun, personal end): — 79:33–81:06

Memorable & Uplifting Moments

• Cheeky pride in success:
  • Ackie recounts the joy of buying expensive jeans and getting an Uber home: “That’s the moment I was like, no…and I still got an Uber home. What?!” (76:01)
• Finding peace & honest vulnerability:
  • “Everything we need is at home. Not in our home, but in us.” (66:38)
• Playful admissions:
  • Revealing that she’s a Slytherin because she likes “achievement…the goals thing. I like nice things.” (11:30)
• Lighter touches:
  • On favorite pizza: “Just put a margarita on a margarita…I just mean cheese.” (80:40)

Summary

This episode shines as a candid, compassionate conversation about the realities behind stardom—resilience, therapy, joy, burnout, and the pursuit of a creative life. Naomi Ackie is eloquent and unflinching in dissecting how fame, grief, and her own drive shaped (and sometimes threatened) her sense of self. Yet, throughout, Naomi’s warmth, self-effacing humor, and hard-won wisdom create a sense of hopefulness—wrapping up with the mantra, “We can do anything… the lies we are told don’t exist. There is always a way.” (79:13)

For listeners seeking insight into how personal growth, mental health, family, and professional ambition collide in the arts, this conversation is essential listening: honest, touching, and inspiring.