Jennifer Hudson knew she had her work cut out for her when she agreed to play the Queen of Soul.
"You just can’t wake up one morning and decide ‘I’m gonna be Aretha Franklin’," said Hudson. "I mean, her voice. Her legacy. The songs. Who she is to all of us. It was daunting. There were times when I was like, ‘Jennifer, what have you done?’."
The answer is Respect, the highly anticipated biopic sanctioned by Franklin, who handpicked Hudson for the role before her death in 2018. The film chronicles the late singer’s rise from her father’s church choir to international stardom, shining a light on the talent and the stories behind the songs.
"Respect is the song and the hit we all love from the gifted Aretha Franklin," Hudson says. "But when you add her life narrative around it, it’s that much more powerful. Understanding the era she grew up in and the courage that she had and her activism. Her relationship with Dr King and Angela Davis. It’s like, wow, you see all sides of the human and the way she used her art to reflect herself and support others and be an advocate. So now it’s more than just the song. It’s more than just the artist. Knowing her history helped me understand her legacy and understand why her impact has been so great."
The film, which hits theatres after decades of planning and a year of Covid-related release delays, moves from Franklin’s religious upbringing to her hard-won stardom of the 1960s, to a spiritual return to gospel music with her highest-selling album, 1972’s Amazing Grace.
Hudson belted out Franklin’s material live on set during filming, as did the rest of the cast.
The former American Idol contestant emotes with the same passion that won her an Oscar for 2006’s Dreamgirls, using her powerhouse vocals to re-create moments in music history, including the birth of Aretha’s own sound in Muscle Shoals’ Fame studio and a knock-’em-dead performance of the film’s namesake at Madison Square Garden. With Hudson and other music-minded folks on board, Respect is the rare biopic where the celebrated artist’s compositions also land a starring role.
"I wanted to make a movie where music was front and centre," director Liesl Tommy said.
"Aretha was capable of so much power when she sings and so much delicacy and nuance. I wanted the way that we feel listening to her music to be the way that we felt watching the film. Another thing that guided me is that she has so much emotion in her singing. I felt that the film should be emotional too because that’s who she was. And even though she was very protective of her private life, her private life is all over her music."
Written by Tracey Scott Wilson , Respect stars Forest Whitaker as Franklin’s father, Marlon Wayans as her husband and manager, Ted White, and Tituss Burgess as the gentle Rev Dr James Cleveland.
Respect follows in the footsteps of other biopics, such as Coal Miner’s Daughter, Ray and Walk the Line, that dared to tackle the legacies of treasured singers. And as American icons go, Aretha is right at the top.
The pressure of portraying her was not lost on Hudson. "I was calm on set. The freakout came later," said Hudson.
She worked with acting and dialect coaches for the role, and turned to the legendary Patti LaBelle for insight into the experience of black female artists in the 1960s.
"They had a lot less freedom and women took up less space," Hudson said. "Ms Franklin spoke up with her music."
Hudson grew up in 1980s Chicago worshipping Whitney Houston, but by the time she auditioned for American Idol, her song of choice was Franklin’s version of Share Your Love With Me. Even the jaded Simon Cowell was impressed.
Tommy and Wilson did extensive research into Franklin’s life to ensure the film was as accurate as possible, from her pregnancy at age 12 to her plight in the studio as the only female musician to her friendship with the Rev Martin Luther King jun.
Hudson sang Amazing Grace at Franklin’s funeral, 50 years after Franklin sang Take My Hand, Precious Lord at King’s memorial.
"She was courageous enough to take a stand," said Hudson of Franklin’s involvement in the civil rights movement. "She used her platform to respond to the times. She fought so hard to get there, and that could have taken her down, but she did it. She left us an example — for us to keep pushing. That’s what got me through this whole thing — her saying, ‘Jennifer, go on.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I’m as courageous as you, but if you think I can, I’m going to give it a try’." — TCA
