Jennifer Hudson recalls final phone call with Aretha Franklin

Courtesy of MGM

Jennifer Hudson stars as the legendary Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic Aretha, out August 13. Unfortunately, the iconic soul singer died in 2018, but Hudson still remembers the last conversation she had with her. 

“I definitely remember our last call,” Hudson told E!’s Daily Pop. “I miss hearing from her.”

“The last thing we spoke about was what she’d been eating and I was telling her about my son cooking. And he’s like, ‘Mother, is that Aretha Franklin on the phone?!’ I was so glad he was there to share that moment,” she expressed. 

Hudson also recalled being hand-picked by the “Natural Woman” songstress for the leading role in Aretha, which she says gave her the “encouragement to get through it.”

“But it’s still adds pressure because you don’t want to let her down. It’s personal to me, for that reason,” she explained. “One minute it’s like, ‘oh my gosh, I’m so excited,’ and the next second it’s a bunch of anxiety.”

On Monday, the Oscar winner shared a throwback photo of herself visiting Franklin’s childhood home with some of the singer’s family members, Diamond FranklinVictorie FranklinTonja FranklinEdward FranklinKecalf FranklinJordan Franklin and Grace Franklin.

“I enjoyed all of Detroit but my favorite moment was sitting on Aretha’s childhood porch with her beautiful family,” she wrote alongside a picture of the group. “As we reflected on the Queen, we listened to her grandbaby sing “Ain’t No Way” with her beautiful voice. The world needs to hear more from the Franklin family. I will never forget this sweet moment together!”

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