Winning that Oscar for Dreamgirls didn’t just make Jennifer Hudson a household name, it also changed her life forever.
Not in a particularly good way, either. When Jennifer Hudson started acting, she probably thought that she’d do Dreamgirls and then maybe a couple of comedies or a big summer action flick. But no. Jennifer Hudson has won an Oscar now, so every film she stars in from now on is legally entitled to be overlong, dreary and so relentlessly worthy that you feel like scrubbing yourself clean with a dry brush afterwards.
And that’s why Jennifer Hudson is about to play Winnie Mandela in what promises to be a right old bundle of bloody laughs.
One of the main things that worries us about Jennifer Hudson is that she used to be an American Idol contestant, and that it wouldn’t take much for other Simon Cowell-approved singers to follow her lead. Sure, it might be OK for Jennifer Hudson to play a notorious historical figure in a transparently Oscar-baiting biopic, but what if it sparks a trend?
What if Leona Lewis suddenly decides that she wants to play Rosa Luxemburg in a film about the 1919 Spartakusbund uprising? Or what if Jedward signs up to play Dmitry Ivanovsky in a biopic about pioneering microbiology? You’d try to hammer yourself unconscious with whatever’s nearest to you, that’s what.
And it’d all be Jennifer Hudson’s fault for playing Winnie Mandela in an upcoming biopic based on the book Winnie Mandela: A Life. Variety reports:
Jennifer Hudson is set to star in Winnie, a drama that casts her as the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. “I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson said. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”
Of course, Jennifer Hudson didn’t need to say any of that. She could have just shouted “I WANT ANOTHER OSCAR!” directly into the face of the Variety editor through a megaphone while repeadedly bonking him on the head with an oversized polystyrene Oscar, since that’s what she obviously means, but where would be the fun in that?
That’s assuming that Jennifer Hudson will win an Oscar for playing Winnie Mandela, of course, and there’s no guarantee that she will. Remember, she only won the Oscar for Dreamgirls because she was able to channel the emotions of her character through a number of painfully schmaltzy showtunes. So if Jennifer Hudson wants to win another Oscar for Winnie, there’s only one thing for it: it’s going to have to be a musical.
No, bear with us. A Winnie Mandela musical would be awesome. Imagine Jennifer Hudson, standing against the backdrop of Apartheid-ravaged South Africa, belting out the timeless Orange Free State (Is Something I Hate). Or winking her way through the ribald crowd-pleaser Let’s Burn Our Enemies With Tyres And Petrol! Or closing the whole thing with the heartfelt show-stopper Election (It’s Fifth Place For Me). It’d be awesome. Or terrible. Probably terrible.
But anything that stops Jennifer Hudson from making any more Sex And The City films, eh?
Follow hecklerspray on Twitter
norma says
All the talk is well and good, but none of that really matters. Jennifer Hudson is an Oscar winner and not the rest. She is worthy and will very good with the role. It is about time Jennifer Hudson gets her just do. People have her very underrated and not because of her multi-talent either. She is a very beautiful dark skin sister and no she is not a size 2. Jen is a flawless size 10 or 12 and we love her nice wonderful fine size. The young lady is great.
HT says
Jolly well done, Heritage. I’d watch any of those hypothetical musicals.
jm says
Very disappointed to see the appearance of this movie at all, and particularly the fact that Ms Hudson is going to play the main character. All I can remember is seeing Winnie Mandela’s face distorted in gleeful rage – pumping her arm in the sky and yelling “We have the matches! We have the matches!” in direct reference to the violent method of “necklacing”. An “honor” to portray that?
Jamaicafest says
@jm – Yes it is true that Winnie Mandela did support necklacing informers but she did play an important role in bringing down apartheid and I think that her story needs to be told – both the good and the bad stuff.
Clare says
The end does not justify the means. Playing a role in ending apartheid-when that role is fighting violence with violence-does not make Winnie Mandela any less evil. Jennifer Hudson obviously knows nothing of the woman she is so honored to portray.
Andre says
Winnie Mandela was also found guilty being an accomplish in the murder of Stompie Sepay (10 year old black boy). Not so long ago she was also found guilty on 56 (?) accounts of fraud, involving banks. Hardly the person I would like to portray
baleni2 says
Guys SA was at war at the time so there were decisions made, not good by any standards but they had to be made, Winnie made them. she is an icon for south africa, a fearless leader and a strong woman. (besides Nelson Mandela and indeed all other liberation struggle leaders did things that they are not proud of, why single out Winnie). That being said i feel it is sad to have non south africans play roles of south african icons (imagine Malcom x being played by some guy from benin, or Obama by some homie from kenya :-) ), but the reality is the movie is american funded and will most likely net the most money in the US, so in all they will find someone they can identify with.
callasafrica says
lol… had she been an opera singer she would’ve been amazing for the new south african opera called “winnie” based on the same woman!!!.. but from her performance in dreamgirls and other movies she has proven to be more than just a singer!.. this woman can act!!