Jennifer Hudson Met With Drug Addicts To Prepare For New Drama

Actress/singer Jennifer Hudson turned to real-life addicts to help research her role as a drugged-up mum in new movie The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete after struggling to relate to the character.

The Oscar-winning Dreamgirls star admits she was "terrified" by the part of Gloria in the coming-of-age indie drama because she was stepping into a world she had no experience of, so she decided to meet with embattled mothers to help her better understand the troubles her character faces.

The encounters proved so insightful, Hudson hired one young woman as an on-set consultant to ensure her portrayal was accurate and she's glad she decided to tackle the project because it gave her the opportunity to show herself in a different light.

She tells Eonline.com, "If you're going to go for it, you go for it. It was so interesting because I was completely introduced to a world I didn't know... I was in tattoos and crazy hair and in this complete rawness.

"What I love most about this project is it has allowed me to step outside the box. This industry will put you in a box. 'Jennifer Hudson, sing! Do a musical!' It's like, 'No!' There's so much more I want to do and there's so much more I feel like I could do. It's not that often you get those opportunities. So that's why when this came along, I was like, 'I'm in. Even though I'm terrified, I'm all in.'"

And director George Tillman, Jr. has praised Hudson for her determination to convincingly pull off the role.

He says, "She came on set with the tattoos and the rocker hair and I thought, 'She's really dedicated. She really went for it.' It was about the movie. She said, 'I don't care what people think. I want to play this right.' She was fearless."

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, produced by singer Alicia Keys, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah last week (17Jan13)

Jennifer Hudson Is Pretty in Pink on “Smash” set!

Jennifer Hudson is pretty in a hot pink robe on the set of NBC’s musical-drama series “Smash.”

The 30-yr-old Oscar winner playfully waved to photographers as she made her way to the New York City set.

J-Hud will appear in several episodes as Tony-Award winning Broadway actress Veronica Moore when the show returns in January. 

In a recent interview, Jennifer said she was looking forward to getting back to work. “It’s just the perfect opportunity,” she said. “It’s gonna be challenging, and I’m a little bit intimidated to play this big Broadway star. But it’s gonna be a great experience. I can’t wait.”

Jennifer Hudson Announces QVC Line

 Jennifer Hudson Announces QVC Line

She’s had quite the roller coaster ride of a life, and now Jennifer Hudson is getting into the clothing design business with shop-at-home network QVC.

The “American Idol” alum explained that she’s a perfect choice to conceptualize a lineup of apparel for women of all shapes and sizes.
“I feel like I represent every woman. I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I’ve been a big girl and now whatever this is, the average size, whatever you want to call it. But I wanted the clothes to be where any girl could wear it — no matter what size you are — and you could feel comfortable in it,” noted Hudson.

QVC EVP Doug Howe added, “She has this great Cinderella story, an aspiration for different women. We don’t overtly go out to target someone who is Hispanic or African-American. We never look at it that way. It all starts with the person’s story and product. That dictates who buys it.”

Ms. Hudson’s clothing line for QVC is slated for a September release, and there will definitely be plenty of leggings in the mix. “I’m the legging queen. What I love about a legging is, again, it’s a piece you can dress up or down and it’s still comfortable,” said Jennifer.