It's been over five years since Whitney Houston's tragic death. Now, a new documentary seeks to shed light on what Houston was like as a person, not the caricature created by the tabloids. Whitney: Can I Be Me, which airs August 26 on Showtime, will be a painful watch as it provides an unflinching look at the dark side of fame.
The documentary's trailer begins with a voiceover: "There will always only be one Whitney Houston and all you can say is 'drug addict'? Come on. Please."
Whitney: Can I Be Me, which initially premiered to stellar reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, includes behind-the-scenes clips, performance footage, and interview excerpts. When people close to her speak, the overarching theme is that fame overwhelmed Houston and ultimately proved to be her downfall.
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Comments include: "Her favorite saying was 'Can I be me?'," "Her rise to fame just took the wind out of her," "She never had this belief that she was this amazing person," and "The longer she stayed in [show business], the harder it was to get out."
The trailer also includes a rare interview with Houston herself: "Success doesn't change you," she said. "Fame does."
The documentary will also explore why Houston "couldn't do what she wanted to do, either professionally or in her personal life" despite the fact that she had more consecutive number one hits than The Beatles and was recognized as having one of the greatest voices of all time.
The trailer concludes with the heartbreaking line, "Whitney Houston died from a broken heart. She died from a broken heart."
Make sure you have at least ten boxes of tissues handy before you watch Whitney: Can I Be Me.