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Jennifer Hudson recalls her last phone call with Aretha Franklin; Says ‘I miss hearing from her’
Jennifer Hudson recently promoted her upcoming film Respect where she essays the role of late music legend Aretha Franklin. Scroll down to see what she said.
While promoting her new film Respect, Jennifer Hudson recently opened up about essaying the role of her idol and mentor Aretha Franklin in the biopic. While chatting with THR, the actress revealed how she started her friendship with the late singer after the legend reached out to her following the release of Dreamgirls.
Jennifer also spoke about her final phone call with the legendary singer days before she passed away. “The last time I heard her voice was August 8,” Jennifer recalled. For those who don’t know, Aretha passed away on August 16, 2018.
Speaking about the fateful day when the duo shared a phone call on August 8, 2021, while attending the red carpet premiere of Respect. She said, “It’s odd that here we are again, on August 8, three years later. Right after we spoke, they told me she was no longer competent enough to speak but she sang to me on our call and we talked about my son and his cooking. She loves to cook and so does he. I sent her a video of him cooking. I truly miss hearing from her.”
In another recent interview with Variety, Jennifer opened up about why she thinks Aretha picked her to play her in the biopic. “I feel like while we were filming, I think it goes beyond the singing and how Jennifer sings and acts. It’s within the scene when Aretha’s mother comes to her; it felt so true to my own life. And in the moment I was like, ‘I don’t think I would’ve been able to tell the story without my own life experience and triumphs,’ and I feel like she saw far more than what I saw,” she shared. “In that moment, I said, ‘This is what it was – this is why.’ It was things that I discovered throughout the film that at least I told myself, ‘This must be the reason,’” she said.
