Get to Know British Actor Naomi Ackie, Star of the Whitney Houston Biopic

Ackie, who was born and raised in Walthamstow, London, was a speaker at the 2018 BFI Working Class Heroes event, where she talked about starting out in the entertainment industry and working extra hard to establish herself.

"Let's get rid of this illusion that actors are this separate entity that are born from the stars. No, we've got crap to do. We've got to get stuff done," the Walthamstow-born actress said. "That, to me, is character-building. That's probably one of the reasons why working-class actors are so versatile because we have to encompass all the worlds: the fancy stuff like the Oscars — but also the nitty-gritty."

While the "Game Of Thrones" prequel, "House of the Dragon", has hit HBO/Sky, Ackie was originally set to star in the first spin-off of the popular fantasy series. The show was filmed under the working title of "Bloodmoon", and Ackie was meant to star in the project alongside Naomi Watts and Jamie Campbell Bower before it was scrapped.

HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys addressed the show's cancellation earlier this year, stating to The Hollywood Reporter that the plot of Bloodmoon required a "lot more invention" and was a "higher risk, higher reward" -— thus prompting HBO bosses not to take the risk.

If Ackie weren't an actress, she would have been a dressmaker. As well as fantasising about stardom, the actress said she would always dream about wearing her own creations on the red carpet. When mentioning her fashion plans, Ackie elaborated to NME: "I would be an atelier or something like that. I'd be in the corner putting sequins on fabric and making beautiful garments for someone else!" And who's to say this dream won't come true?

"I swear, when I was a teenager, I used to daydream about that! Like, 'one day I'm going to be an actress and go on the red carpet wearing something I'd made.' I don't have that skill. But I used to customise clothes when I was a kid, that's where that came from. I just need to learn how to be better, and then who knows! Gimme five years, and I might just do it."

As well as her love for Shakespeare, Ackie was heavily influenced by the "Harry Potter" film franchise growing up.

"Harry Potter was a really big thing for me," Ackie told the Los Angeles Times. "Actually, if there was anything that made me want to be in films more, it was like looking at those kids and wanting that feeling of being a part of something epic". She's a Slytherin, just so you know!

With her star power on the rise, Ackie is very keen on leading a private life. She was previously on Instagram under the handle @naomi_ackie, but the account has since been deleted, and she is not on Twitter either.

Ackie also ensures to keep her love life out of the spotlight, and it is currently unknown whether she is single or in a relationship.

While Ackie is likely to become a household name, she has been working steadily over the years and has already built up a seriously impressive acting CV.

Her feature film debut was made in William Oldroyd's "Lady Macbeth", which also starred Florence Pugh, and premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Her performance in the period drama was so impressive that Ackie won the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2017.

Ackie also portrayed Mona in the Idris Elba-directed drama "Yardie" and made recurring appearances as Ruby in the Hulu series "The Bisexual". She played the role of Jannah in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019 and joined season two of Netflix's "The End of the F***ing World". In 2021, she starred in the British musical heist film "The Score" alongside Will Poulter.

Following the Whitney Houston biopic, Ackie has a slate of exciting film projects coming up. She is currently filming for Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut, "Pussy Island", alongside Channing Tatum. She is also in production for the science fiction film "Mickey7", which is director Bong Joon-ho's first film after the Oscar-winning movie "Parasite."