NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW: Actress/Singer Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls'

NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW: Actress/Singer Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls'

At First Refused to Take Oprah's Congratulations Call: 'I Thought it was my Manager Playing Around! It Took About 30 Seconds Before I Realized, 'Oh my God, This is Oprah for Real!' '

On Being a Size 12 in the Size-2 World of Showbiz: 'Why Should I Feel Like the Minority When the Majority of America is a Size 12? Hey, Somebody has to Represent the Big Girls. Why Not Me?'

NEW YORK, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- When Oprah Winfrey called Jennifer Hudson to congratulate her on her performance in the upcoming movie "Dreamgirls," Hudson at first refused to take the call. "I was resting my voice, and I thought it was my manager playing around!" she tells Senior Writer Sean Smith in Newsweek's December 11 issue (on newsstands Monday, December 4). "It took about 30 seconds before I realized, 'Oh my God, this is Oprah for real!' " Hudson continues, "She said my performance was like a religious experience ... She said words were not enough to define it. She said, 'I'm so proud of you'."

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061203/NYSU015 )

While almost everyone who has seen "Dreamgirls" agrees it will make Hudson a star-it has already landed her a recording contract and major Oscar buzz -- she will face the challenge of being a size - 12 woman entering a size-2 universe. Hudson has lost weight since making "Dreamgirls," but the filmmakers want her to keep her curves while promoting the movie. "But the music people are like, 'You look great. Keep losing'," she tells Newsweek. Still, Hudson remains confident. "Why should I feel like the minority when the majority of America is a size 12?" she says. "Plus, a lot of singers don't sound the same when they lose weight ... I have a little singer's pouch, and that's where the voice comes from, so you're all just going to have to get used to my jelly," she laughs, "Hey, somebody has to represent the big girls. Why not me?"

In "Dreamgirls," Hudson's character, Effie White, is forced into the background of the group because she doesn't look the part -- thin enough or light enough -- of a star. Hudson herself learned how image trumps talent when she was booted off the third season of "American Idol," prompting criticism from fans that "Idol" voters were racist. But Hudson has never speculated about why she got the "Idol" ax, reports Smith. "It just meant that wasn't the place for me," she says. "I figured if they couldn't accept me for the talent that I am, then I didn't need to be there." She says, "The 'Idol' judges told me, 'Everything about you is too much ... Your voice is too much. Your look is too much. Your hair is too much.' I didn't understand. Isn't that what a star is: bigger than average?"

(Read entire article at www.Newsweek.com)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15994168/site/newsweek/

Review: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15994165/site/newsweek/

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061203/NYSU015
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN 1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Andrea Faville of Newsweek, +1-212-445-4859

Web site: http://www.newsweek.msnbc.com/
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15994165/site/newsweek

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