It’s crazy how some things just come full circle, and in the case of actor Ricco Ross, one experience with the legendary Whitney Houston will live forever in his memory. The year was 1985, and Houston wasn’t the icon we remember her as today; Ross wasn’t the heartthrob he’s known as either. But that’s when their two worlds collided, giving fans everywhere an iconic musical moment.
After being type casted as a gangster in Hollywood, Ross decided to move to London to diversify his acting portfolio. That’s when he landed a gig in Houston’s music video for “Saving All My Love For You.” Ross recalled the full story on TikTok saying, “I put myself up for this role playing the lead role opposite Whitney... and you have to keep in mind, Whitney at that time she wasn’t a star— she wasn’t big. People didn’t really know her.”
In fact, “Saving All My Love for You” was Houston’s breakout hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song, off Houston’s debut album, was the first of her seven consecutive No. 1 singles, according to Billboard.
Ross met her before she became a household name. “When I met her, she was just this bright-eyed, beautiful sister who could sing,” he continued. “But I didn’t know how good she could sing” until one particular moment on set.
For those who never saw the video (where have you been??) there’s one scene when Ross, who played Houston’s producer, is watching her sing in the recording booth. Houston, like most artists, was lip-syncing her song for the video, but the director apparently wasn’t feeling the vibes. So he asked her to sing for real, and no one was ready for it.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Ross said. “When she started singing that song for real, I was like, ‘This girl’s got that it’— whatever that ‘it’ is that they talk about that makes a person a star,” he continued. Houston’s star power was obvious from that moment on. “I didn’t know she was going to be who she is, but I knew that her voice resonated in your soul.”
The actor went on to say the duo had tons of fun while filming, and he even gave her a few tips to help her reach deep into her acting bag. “We had such a good time that we actually exchanged numbers, and we wanted to keep in contact,” he told TikTok. Things didn’t go as planned, however, as she lived in New York City and Ross was still in London. “I’ll never forget it,” he said with a smile.
In a full circle moment, Ross also revealed he was casted to play Uncle Ray in “Bobbi Kristina,” the 2017 film detailing the life of Houston’s only child. Of course, this was after the singer’s 2012 passing and Bobbi Kristina’s death in 2015. “Whitney and I have a lot of connection points,” Ross continued.
Despite the tragic deaths of Houston and her daughter, Ross still manages to smile when remembering Houston’s voice and the brief time they shared. Recently, Ross was casted in Tyler Perry’s “Beauty in Black,” which you can watch on Netflix.