Jennifer Hudson Doesn't Know Why Aretha Franklin Hand-Picked Her To Star in 'Respect'

Jennifer Hudson is opening up about playing the legendary Aretha Franklin on the big screen in Respect.

However, the 39-year-old actress and singer revealed that she still doesn’t know why Aretha had hand picked her to portray her in the biopic.

Click inside to see what Jennifer shared…

Speaking to Variety at the LA premiere over the weekend, Jennifer shared that she’s “so mad at myself for not asking her that question!”

Jennifer does have a theory about the reason though.

“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.’”

Jennifer also shared that after portraying Aretha in the movie, she had absorbed Aretha‘s self-possessed sense of power and purpose that defined her.

“I feel like that was the takeaway for me: owning your voice,” she said. “She was always big about that. And it wasn’t until she owned her voice that we got our Queen of Soul. So if we all took that moment to go within ourselves and own what we have, what king and queen lies under there?”

If you haven’t seen, check out what Jennifer‘s next project is here…