Jennifer Hudson: "Anyone would assume that Aretha Franklin had it made"
'R.E.S.P.E.C.T',. a biopic of Aretha Franklin, shows us the power of one woman's voice...
Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson got the opportunity to play the legendary Aretha Franklin in the biography, 'R.E.S.P.E.C.T', while South African-born director Liesl Tommy directed the movie.
Hudson shared that Aretha Franklin was a motherly figure to her and was an inspiration to her. So what an honour it must be to play this legend in the biopic that shows the life of the late Aretha Franklin.
"The 39-year-old singer considered the “A Natural Woman” singer a close friend before her death in 2018, and was even named by Aretha as the person she wanted to play her in the biopic of her life – a role she fulfilled in the new movie, ‘Respect’." (MSN)
The connection that these two women must've shared before Aretha's passing speaks volumes, considering that she named Jennifer as the performer that she wanted to play her. Jennifer recently shared that Aretha had such a regal presence.
Aretha … she had a regal presence. And when we first had our meeting, she said, ‘Are you shy or something?’ And I said, ‘Well, I am sitting with the Queen of Soul! What do you expect?
Read more: WATCH: TikToker Khaby Lame has become the silent movie star who earns millions after being jobless
WATCH the trailer below (courtesy of YouTube)
The actress-singer shared that she would speak to Aretha often and learned a lot from her by learning about all that she overcame in her own life and her experiences.
But she was just very still. Full of presence. I noticed she didn’t speak much. She said what she said, and that was that. But eventually it became more, well, motherly. And even in her last days I would talk to her weekly. She ended up teaching me more about life, while teaching me about her life.
This is why we love the idea of biographies, it allows us to remember those legends that have imprinted on us in so many ways. But it also opens up our eyes to the story behind the person and what they had to endure to achieve their successes.
It's even more enlightening when we see woman like Aretha Franklin who impacted so many women and men in the music industry, a woman of colour, share her story that will live on with her music forever.
We can't wait to watch the movie and we hope that we can all learn from her amazing story.
Anyone would assume that Aretha Franklin had it made. But, no, everyone has a life. Everyone has a story. Everyone goes through something. And when you see someone like that overcome what she has overcome, it inspires you. It definitely did me.
Image Courtesy of YouTube