In November 2005, Hudson was cast in the prized role of, "Effie White," the role originally created in a legendary Broadway performance by Jennifer Holliday, for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy. This role marked Hudson's debut screen performance. She won the role over hundreds of professional singers and actresses, including Raven-Symoné and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino.[19] Hudson said in an interview on The View that Fantasia called her and said: "Girl, you stole my part."Filming of Dreamgirls began on January 9, 2006, and the film went into limited release on December 25, 2006, and national release on January 12, 2007.
Hudson has won particular praise for her show-stopping onscreen rendition of the hit song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", the signature song of the role, which had earlier been recorded, and had already reached the status of musical standard, because of the definitive performance of Jennifer Holliday. The New York Observer described Hudson's performance of the song as, "five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson... into the position of front-runner for the best supporting actress Oscar."Newsweek said that when moviegoers hear Hudson sing the song, she, "is going to raise goose bumps across the land." Variety wrote that Hudson's performance, "calls to mind debuts like Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl or Bette Midler in The Rose, with a voice like the young Aretha."
Auditions for the lead roles in a new stage version of hit musical DREAMGIRLS have been put on hold out of respect for the film's star JENNIFER HUDSON, after her mother, brother and nephew were murdered.
Open castings to the show's stars were scheduled to begin on 1 November (08), but theatre bosses have postponed them until 22 November.
Producer John Breglio, who is overseeing the new Dreamgirls U.S. national stage tour, says the project is too closely linked to Hudson - who won an Oscar for her portrayal of ousted girlgroup star Effie White - for the auditions to go ahead.
He says, "Our prayers and thoughts are with Ms. Hudson and her family at this tragic time. Due to this horrific tragedy, we feel this is not the time for a talent search for a role that is so closely connected with Ms. Hudson."
Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were shot dead at their Chicago, Illinois home on Friday (24Oct08).
The postponement of the Dreamgirls auditions comes just a day after the singer/actress reportedly identified the body of her missing seven year old nephew, Julian King, who was found dead in the back of a car on Monday (27Oct08).
William Balfour, who was once married to the child's mother, Julia Hudson, is being questioned by police over the killings.
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