Jennifer Hudson on Respect and Performing with Prince Before He Died

With director Liesl Tommy’s feature film debut, Respect, opening in theaters this weekend, I recently spoke to Jennifer Hudson about her fantastic work playing Aretha Franklin in the biopic. During the interview, Hudson talked about how working on Dreamgirls with Bill Condon helped her in this role, what she does to keep her voice strong and fresh so it doesn’t fail her during filming, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of Respect, and what it was like signing with Prince before he died. If you haven’t seen the trailers, Respect stars Hudson stars as the Queen of Soul and the film chronicles her journey from a gifted child to an international sensation around the world. The star-studded cast includes Forest Whitaker as C.K. Franklin, Marlon Wayans as Ted White (Franklin’s first husband), Audra McDonald as Barbara Franklin, Tituss Burgess as Dr. James Cleveland, Marc Maron as legendary Atlantic Records music producer Jerry Wexler, Kimberly Scott as Mama Franklin, Saycon Sengblah as