Jennifer Hudson is shocked by her success

Diva 101
According to director Bill Condon, Hudson, whom Foxx describes as “country sweet” had to be trained for the role. Condon enrolled Hudson in Diva 101.

“Jennifer is extremely sweet, she’s very professional and there is a sense of Effie walking into a room and owning it and making sure the spotlight is on her, but Jennifer doesn’t need that. That’s not who she is. But to be Effie you needed to have a little of that quality. So, it was simply a matter of a few days and acting out in that way and getting comfortable with it. She did and it did help.”

Hudson found Condon’s direction particularly helpful when she was performing Holliday’s signature song.

“He would just come and set it up for me,” Hudson said. “And it was all like emotional terms. He would say for the opening as I turn around to Curtis, he would say ‘here Effie, you know, has a sense of pride and doesn’t want to let it go, but he breaks her down. So, she’s trying to hold on to it, but you’re breaking down at the same time. At the end of the song she’s completely desperate and out of control at this point. That was another direction. He’d pretty much just tell me exactly what he was looking for.”

Once all the “Dreamgirls” hoopla has subsided, Hudson will be spending most of her time in the recording studio. She recently got a record deal and is anxious to actually start the process of picking music and laying down tracks. Beyond that, she’d like to follow in the footsteps of Streisand, Ross and Beyoncé, whom she credits with helping her stay calm on the set.

“Just her ability not to give up and to stay so focused was amazing to me,” Hudson said. “I would tell everybody that while everybody else was at home sleeping at night this girl is up working. She gave us a great push. It was like if Beyoncé can do it then I can do it. To whom much is given, much is required — you know what I mean?”

It means that even though you didn’t initially think you’d be the one carrying the weight of this film on your broad shoulders, you are.

“I didn’t realize how much weight was on me with this movie until after I saw it,” Hudson said humbly. “Thank God I didn’t know because then I think I would have been a nervous wreck. But I was so excited and so happy to be a part of the project that it never occurred to me that oh God, you have a lot to do here and this is your first film and in it with all of these other stars. It really never occurred to me.”

Miki Turner is a freelance writer/producer in Los Angeles and can be reached at .

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