Jennifer Hudsonis looking back on the last conversation she had withAretha Franklinjust a week before thesinger’s deathin 2018.
HostStephen Colbertpointed out that Hudson and Franklin “spoke a lot in the last 10 years of [Franklin’s] life,” and asked Hudson, “what was the last thing y’all talked about?”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube
She continued, “And then, my son is a cook, too, so I ended up telling her about him cooking and sending her a video. Because she was so present. She always knew what was going on, even in my life.”
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Hudson went on to share that she “was one of the last people to hear from her,” before Franklin died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, when she was 76 years old.
Colbert, 57, suggested that Hudson could have also been “one of the last people to hear her sing,” and Hudson agreed.
“Sometimes, while taking pictures with someone, I’m like, ‘Oh wow, I’m smiling like Aretha,’ " Hudson said. “Or, ‘That response was more Aretha-like. You identify little things like that in yourself that are still there.”
RELATED VIDEO: Aretha Franklin Made It Clear to Jennifer Hudson That She Was the Queen of Soul
In a previous interview withGood Morning America, Hudson revealed that she and Franklin had their very first conversation in 2006, and “spoke weekly” in the years following.
“So you can only imagine how I feel now, like, ‘Whoa, it’s here? It’s done?’ " she said. “To see it actually manifest and for her to choose me is … I can’t even begin to put it into words. I do not take it lightly. It’s a dream come true. I don’t want to sound cheesy, but it is.”
Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin.Quantrell D. Colbert
Respectdirector Liesl Tommytold PEOPLEearlier this month that Hudson brought the film crew to tears with her portrayal of Franklin.
“There were grown, hardened grips crying,” Tommy said. “I think that’s part of why people worked so hard [on the film]. They understood how much she was giving, how hard Jennifer was working. She would sing and sing and sing and sing on those days. It was astounding.”
Respectpremieres in theaters Aug. 13.
source: people.com
