Jennifer Hudson is on the cover of Ebony Magazine’s September issue talking about her work honoring Aretha Franklin’s legacy in the new biopic RESPECT.
In the editorial, she shared that she is able to be fearless and hone her craft because of God.
“All I can say is that it’s God,” she says. “I can’t say that I necessarily know, but I know when I’m there, especially with this particular project. It really hit close to home.
It was led by real emotion that came from a real place.” Respect, the Liesl Tommy–directed film, hit theaters August 13, and stars Hudson alongside Mary J. Blige, Audra McDonald, Marlon Wayans, and Forest Whitaker, among others.
Getting selected to play Aretha Franklin by the icon herself may have been even more momentous than actually playing her. Some may call this circumstance a God moment.
“I’ve seen God work too many times not to be able to recognize that this time around it’s Him,” Hudson affirms. “Her saying, ‘Jennifer, play me,’ is beyond singing and acting.”
Jennifer also shared that to portray Franklin she had to pull from unfortunate situations. Both women have lost close family members to tragedy.
Franklin’s mother died of a heart attack when Aretha was just 9, and her father was fatally wounded during a home invasion by unknown intruders; Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew were all murdered by the Chicago native’s former brother-in-law.
Franklin, however, wasn’t the type to carry her burdens on her sleeve. Rather, she emoted through her music, her artistry. For Hudson, it is the same.
“I’m not afraid to bare it [all] and allow it to show in that way,” she says. “I look at our stories like a testimony. I feel as though I’m telling her story through my own pain.
I don’t think I would have been able to do this when we first had a conversation about it. I needed to live. I needed to have my own experiences. Every tear, every emotion—it costs, so I [made sure to handle the role with care].”
Styling Jennifer
Jennifer was styled by celebrity stylist Micah McDonald of the duo Wayman and Micah who revealed how he channeled the Queen of Soul glamour for the September shoot.
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Read the entire editorial here.
