Jennifer Hudson’s Debut as Aretha Franklin’s Respect
Jennifer Hudson Debut as Aretha Franklin in RESPECT movie is just AWESOME!
Jenifer Hudson’s debut as Aretha Franklin follows the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom. From what I am reading, this movie is going to be sensational.
I did a little digging and here is what I learned about the making of RESPECT!
First, it has an All-Star Cast:
starring
Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin
Forest Whitaker as C.L. Franklin
Marlon Wayans as Ted White
Audra McDonald as Barbara Franklin
Marc Maron as Jerry Wexler
Tituss Burgess as Reverend Dr. James Cleveland
Kimberly Scott as Mama Franklin
Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklin
Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin
Heather Headley as Clara Ward
Skye Dakota Turner as Young Aretha Franklin
Tate Donovan as John Hammond
and
Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington
In addition:
Director Liesl Tommy makes her feature film debut with Respect. Tommy is the first Black woman ever nominated for a Tony award for Best Direction of a Play in 2016 for Eclipsed and is an Associate Artist at the Berkeley Rep and an Artist Trustee with the Sundance Institute’s Board of Trustees.
The story was written by Callie Khouri (Oscar® winner for Writing, Thelma & Louise) and Tracey Scott Wilson, and screenplay written by Tracey Scott Wilson. Wilson and Tommy have worked together creatively since the 2009 play The Good Negro written by Wilson, directed by Tommy at The Public Theatre. Wilson was a writer on FX’s The Americans which garnered her a Peabody Award as well as Emmy® and WGA Award nominations.
Quotes:
“Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, we know her as this legend but there is a story to everyone. Her life had so much depth to it, and it came through the music.”
Jennifer Hudson
“My dream for the film — and for Aretha and her legacy — was to create a piece of cinema that feels like a classic you have to see in a movie theater. You have to see it on a big screen because her life was so big it deserved that.”
Liesl Tommy, director of RESPECT
(l-r.) Brenda Nicole Moorer stars as Brenda Franklin, Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin,Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklinand Jennifer Hudson as ArethaFranklininRESPECTAMetro Goldwyn Mayer PicturesfilmPhoto credit: Quantrell D. Colbert© 2021Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer PicturesInc. All Rights Reserved
Now
, the combination of talent pulled together to make this movie, ain’t no joke, yall! RESPECT opens in theaters on August 13, 2021, so tell all your family members and friends to get vaccinated and go to the theater to see this movie.
