Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson, who stars in a new biopic on late music icon Aretha Franklin, has revealed that it was a “scary” role to take on.
Hudson said: “I mean, playing the queen herself, Aretha Franklin,… it was the scariest thing ever. Obviously she can’t be duplicated. I know what she represents and what she means to the world – including myself.
“It’s not easy when you’re entrusted with something like that; I did not take it lightly at all.”
Hudson benefited from being a long-time fan of the late star, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
She told The Independent: “Already knowing a lot of the music helped me prepare. But at the same time, when it came to actually recreating these moments and scenes, it’s like, ‘Wait a minute: in this scene she doesn’t know the song (yet), so I can’t sing it as I know it to be or what it became to me.’ That’s when it got tricky at times.”
She can relate to some aspects of Franklin’s journey to stardom.
“So many things (about Aretha’s early career) resonate to me in my own life as far as my artistry.”
Hudson has also been inspired by Franklin’s activism.
Talking about the ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ hitmaker, who died in 2018, aged 76, Hudson said: “(She) showed you that you can use your platform to step up and make a difference. We all have a duty to do that. I know it inspired me in that way.”
“I remember while filming, all of these (BLM protests) were going on. (Her work) still relates and connects to that. It’s our duty to carry that torch and make a difference.”