This post and video was sponsored by MGM Studios.
It’s no wonder the Queen of Soul handpicked Jennifer Hudson to play her before her passing: as Aretha Franklin in “Respect,” Hudson’s wholehearted commitment to the iconic part is undeniable.
Following Franklin’s epic journey from singing in church to becoming a cultural icon, the biopic—directed and written by two Black women, Liesl Tommy and Tracey Scott Wilson, respectively—tells the story with delicate attention to detail. And Hudson’s performance mirrors the approach.
Hudson worked with a dialect coach to capture not only how Franklin spoke and performed, but how Franklin’s singing voice progressed over the film’s three-decade timeline. The actor even learned how to play the piano and performed each song live on set as an homage to Franklin’s talent.
In an intimate conversation with “Euphoria” actor Colman Domingo, Hudson shares how she prepared for the role that earned her a SAG Award nomination early this year. For one, she had to unlearn the music she was already deeply familiar with to write, rehearse, and perform it using the same process Franklin did. Hudson also had to learn how to shift between singing as herself, singing as Franklin, and how to combine the two. While Hudson identifies as a “singer,” she says Franklin was a “musician,” who embodied the art entirely from composing to performing.
Costume design was another essential part of building the character for Hudson. “I was like, who wears this? The Queen of Soul,” she says. But more than the outer portrayal she built for Franklin, there was a spirituality to the performance that centered her during production. As a spiritual person herself, Hudson shares how important it was to her that Franklin’s faith was present—from how she moved to how she sang gospel. Portraying Franklin was the most personal project she’s worked on, she says, and faith was one of the essential elements.
Hudson says while her fans may have deemed her the “princess of soul,” she considers herself the “queen of spirits.” And, in the film, her spirit certainly shines through.
Check out Hudson and Domingo’s full conversation below for more details on this critically acclaimed performance.