Jennifer Hudson by John Micklos Jr

Author:John Micklos, Jr. [Micklos, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4645-1224-7
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2014-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

HEARTBREAK AND HOPE

Following the success of Dreamgirls, Hudson’s career soared. In March 2007, she became the first African-American singer to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine. Soon after that she became the face of Avon’s Imari fragrance. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley even proclaimed March 6 as “Jennifer Hudson Day.” The crowd went wild when their hometown hero spoke and sang a snippet from Dreamgirls.

As she grew more and more famous, people asked how she managed to remain grounded. “My faith in God and my family,” Hudson told Vogue magazine. “They’re very realistic and very normal. They’re not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that’s just another place that’s home. I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I’m just Jennifer, (so she says), ‘You get up and you take care of your own stuff.’ And I love that; I don’t like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth. . . .”

Hudson was soon overwhelmed by offers for movies and other projects. On the set of Dreamgirls, costar Beyoncé Knowles had told her that this might happen. Knowles warned her to choose carefully and not take just any role or project that came along.

Hudson took those words to heart. In fact, she turned down a role in the movie Precious because it would have required gaining a lot of weight. She knew the role was strong. She thought the movie could be a big hit. Still, she did not want to get locked into roles that revolved around her size. In the end, the role went to newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. Like Hudson, Sidibe earned an Oscar nomination in her first film role, although she did not win. Despite the film’s success, Hudson never regretted not taking the part. Following her dream required taking on roles that appealed to her.

She did accept roles in three movies in 2007. The most commercially successful was Sex and the City, a movie version of the popular television series about the lives of four single women in New York City. The movie filmed in late 2007 and came out in May 2008. Hudson had the role of Louise, the assistant to lead character Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. Hudson not only acted in the movie but also recorded a new song titled “All Dressed in Love.”

Hudson said she enjoyed taking on a comedy role. She also found it amusing shooting in New York City and having fans come up to greet her. “My first day of shooting, we were in the subway with real New Yorkers—it shocked the mess out of me,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “They’re coming over to Jennifer Hudson and I’m Louise. I’m like, I want to be Jennifer right now, but I’m in the middle of a scene.”

Many critics panned the movie, calling it light-weight and overlong. Audiences loved it, though. The film earned more than $400 million worldwide, making it the top-grossing romantic comedy of 2008.

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