By Jamel Smith August 13, 2021 A decade before her passing, Aretha Franklin hand selected Jennifer Hudson to portray her in her untitled biopic. It was shortly after Hudson won her first Academy Award for her breakthrough performance of Effie White in 2006’s Dreamgirls. Such an honor protected the actress from the criticism that followed … Continue reading Jennifer Hudson unearths the genius of Aretha Franklin in biopic, ‘Respect’