People.com Entertainment Movies Jennifer Hudson Says She Hopes to Make Aretha Franklin 'Proud' in Playing Her Idol in 'Respect' "I just hope I make her proud [and] do her justice," Jennifer Hudson said about playing Aretha Franklin in the upcoming story of the late legend's life By Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose Twitter Benjamin VanHoose is an Associate Editor on the Movies team at PEOPLE. He's worked at PEOPLE for over three years as a writer and reporter across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial to the Oscars. He regularly covers red carpet events and has interviewed stars like Drew Barrymore, Ryan Reynolds and Kirsten Dunst. He previously worked as a copy editor at Topix Media Lab. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 13, 2019 04:01 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Jennifer Hudson has more than enough respect for her idol Aretha Franklin. The Cats star, 38, is currently working on the 2020 biopic Respect, for which she takes on the lead role as the late Queen of Soul. Opening up to Willie Geist of Sunday Today, Hudson says she’s very much aware of the significance of the story, which she intends to handle with reverence. “Those are huge shoes to fill,” she said in the interview clip, exclusive to PEOPLE. She continued: “I am just taking it one step at a time, one day at a time. All I want to do is pay tribute to her and meet her requests, you know? Like, ‘Aretha said do this?’ — ‘Yes, ma’am.'” After years of development to bring the project together, Hudson said she simply wants to get it right and honor Franklin, who died in August 2018 at age 76 due to pancreatic cancer. “We were in talks a long time about me playing her,” she added, “so I just hope I make her proud [and] do her justice.” Jennifer Hudson Transforms Into Aretha Franklin for Upcoming Biopic Respect Jennifer Hudson. Jennifer Hudson Honors Aretha Franklin with Powerful Musical Tribute at Pulitzer Prize Luncheon While Hudson’s role as Franklin was announced last year, in 2016, Franklin told PEOPLE that she had already approved of who was going to portray her on-screen. “I’ve talked to the person that is going to play me,” she said. “I’m not going to say who I chose, but I’ve talked to her and she’s ready and I’m happy with her.” In a separate project, Golden Globe nominee Cynthia Erivo will play Franklin for a season of National Geographic’s Genius anthology series. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Aretha Franklin. Mychal Watts/WireImage Jennifer Hudson to Return to The Voice to Sing ‘Memory’ from Upcoming Cats Film Last month, Hudson was spotted filming the movie in New York City. In the set photos, the Dreamgirls actress got into character wearing a retro-style bun paired with an over-sized tweed coat and elaborate earrings, as she walked the streets beside costar Marlon Wayans, who plays Franklin’s first husband, Ted White. Wayans, 47, looked the part dressed in a plaid coat, gray suit and a classic feathered-fedora hat. One of the on-set photos captured the pair taking a break from their walk to lock lips for a romantic scene. Theater director Liesl Tommy will direct the upcoming film, which also stars Forest Whitaker, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige and Tituss Burgess. Respect is slated for a theatrical release on Oct. 9, 2020. Hudson’s full interview on Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist airs Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on NBC.