“Whitney was always happy. Whitney was always laughing,” the actress told PEOPLE at the NAACP Image Awards
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Lela Rochon in 2025; Whitney Houston in 2010Lela Rochon is sharing some memories from her time with the late Whitney Houston.
While speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif., on Feb. 22, the actress reminisced about working with the legendary singer on the set of the 1995 rom-com Waiting to Exhale, which also starred Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine.
“Joy,” Rochan, 60, says when thinking of one word to describe Houston.
“Whitney was always happy. Whitney was always laughing,” she adds. “When she got serious, it was always very deep and serious. Because, you know, when you're a songstress and a songwriter, you feel very deeply, you love very deeply. And she really loved people and she loved the world, and I wish the world had loved her more.”
Houston died in 2012 at the age of 48.
Related: Whitney Houston's Former Bodyguard Says He Was Once Tempted to 'Give Up Everything' for the Singer
While speaking about Waiting to Exhale’s legacy at the event, Rochon revealed to PEOPLE why she believes the film was able to capture such magic between the four leading ladies.
“I think because we really loved each other. I think because we were friends. I think because we instantly connected,” she says.
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And when asked how she feels about being a part of a movie that still resonates with audiences after 30 years?
“I'm just glad I'm here to see it [the film’s legacy]. It's wonderful. You know, when you're making something, it feels magical, but you never know what's going on in the world or how it would do. But the fact that it's transcending time is amazing,” she explains.
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Lela Rochon at the NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 22, 2025Related: 'Waiting to Exhale' Throwback Premiere Photos
The movie, directed by Forest Whitaker and based on the novel by Terry McMillan, follows four Black women as they navigate love and life. The film shattered box office expectations for its genre at the time and was considered a significant milestone for representation in Hollywood — proving that audiences were hungry to see stories about women of color.
Rochon stars in The Family Business spinoff, The Family Business: New Orleans, on BET+. The crime drama follows a separate branch of the Duncan family as they navigate the criminal underworld of a new city.
The Family Business: New Orleans premiered Jan. 23 and streams on BET+.
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