Jennifer Hudson brought Aretha Franklin to life in more ways than one on Sunday night during the BET Awards.
MGM dropped a brand new look at upcoming biopic “Respect” during the telecast, which also saw Hudson perform another Franklin classic.
In the new movie footage, Hudson belts out the title song with ease, as clips from the film itself are shown highlighting the legend’s childhood and rise to fame. As she struggles with early success, Mary J. Blige’s Dinah Washington tells her she needs to “find the songs that move you.” Until she does that, says Washington, “you ain’t going nowhere.”
The trailer also points out Franklin’s activism, showing a snippet of a speech she gave in support of Angela Davis in the ’70s. “You have to disturb the peace when you can’t get no peace,” she’s seen proclaiming.
Marc Maron also appears as record executive Jerry Wexler — who Aretha tells, “I’d like you to call me Ms. Franklin” — while Marlon Wayans plays Franklin’s first husband Ted White.
