Jennifer Hudson remembers she felt intimidated by the role of Aretha Franklin in 'Respect'

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

As the day Oscar nominations are announced on February 8 approaches, many film observers believe Jennifer Hudson will receive a nod for her starring role in the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.

Hudson won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls in 2007, but if she’s nominated for Respect, it will be for Best Actress. The late Queen of Soul personally selected Hudson for the role; however, Jennifer says she had second thoughts about playing her idol “every day.”

“As an actor, you read a script; but when you start seriously working on it, you think, ‘What did I get myself into?’” the 40-year-old singer/actress explains