Audra McDonald on Making Respect and Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age

With director Liesl Tommy’s feature film debut, Respect, now playing in theaters, I recently spoke to Audra McDonald about making the biopic. If you haven’t seen the trailers, Respect stars Jennifer 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, 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 Erma Franklin, Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin, Heather Headley as Clara Ward, Skye Dakota Turner as Young Aretha Franklin, Tate Donovan as John Hammond, and Mary J. Blige as Dina Washington. Respect was written by Tracey Scott Wilson, based on a story by Wilson and Thelma & Louise writer Callie Khouri. During the interview, McDonald talked about what people would be surprised to learn about the making of Respect,