apartheid in the country. But the woman in the struggle, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, his wife of nearly forty years, has a story all her own.
On Friday,
September 6, the story of the controversial politician and activist will be
told for the first time on the silver screen in Winnie Mandela. Academy
Award-winner Jennifer Hudson shines in the title role of a lifetime, starring
alongside Academy Award-nominee Terrance Howard as Nelson Mandela. EM.com
caught up with the multi-hypehenate to discuss her transformation into a
historic figure, how she balances work and mommyhood and whether wedding bells
with fiancé, wrestler David Otunga, are in her near future.
EM: You're playing
a big role, the title role, in your latest film,
Winnie Mandela hitting theaters very soon. How are you feeling?
JENNIFER HUDSON:
I'm feeling all right. I try not to think about it too much because then you
get nervous.
EM: What kind of
things did you do to get into the head-space of Winnie Mandela?
JH:
Well. I did as much research as I could. What I had, I used. I got to hear
stories of her so I used all of those things. I tried to use the resources that
I had to find out who she really is and what makes her tick.
EM:
What's that like for you as an actor, playing a real-life person as opposed
to a character?
JH:
I find it intimidating. But it also kind of helped me a little bit more because
you have a real source to connect to. Me, I like things with substance and with
a figure like [Winnie], to be able to tell her story, that's powerful. It gets
you thinking, "Hey, how come we don't know this part of our history?"
No one knows Winnie Mandela's history, so to tell that story, to be able to
really show what she did, that's special.
EM: She had voiced
complaints about the movie awhile back because she was not consulted for it.
Were you able to speak with her at all during your research or was that outside
of your control?
JH:
It was definitely outside of my control. I would've loved to meet her but I'm
still there to portray a role. I would be honored to meet her one day.
EM: What was it
like for you to work with Terrance Howard?
JH:
Terrance is an amazing actor. He's an interesting person, but he's a very
exciting actor. He gives his all and when I'm in a scene with him, he just
raises the bar and then I want to raise the bar and go that much further
because of him, so, he's great.
EM: What do you
hope audiences will leave the theater knowing about Winnie Mandela?
JH:
Just her contribution to the world, the struggle that she went through and the
battles she fought. She did the very best she could and we all should know
that.
EM: It sounds like
this was a very enlightening experience for you, too. Do you think it has
impacted what you want to teach your son and what you hope he'll learn?
JH:
Yes. He wasn't able to go to Africa with me, but he's seen the film already and
says, "Mommy, I want to see that movie again." That's been instilled
in him already. He remembers things and songs from the movie and I'm like,
"Wow. You remember that?" It's fascinating to see. [The story's been]
embedded in him now.
EM: With all that
you've got going on, how are you balancing motherhood and work? Do you feel,
after four years, you've finally got a good rhythm?
JH: My
son is getting ready to start school now, actually, and because I want to be
home and be mommy and be there to take him to school and pick him up, I'm
looking for a new balance. At first he could travel with mommy so it was easier
for me, but now he can't so much, so, I'm looking for that new balance and it's
just about trying different things and seeing what works.
EM: Do you have
any celebrity or working moms whose example you'd like to emulate?
JH: I
look at Halle Berry and I see how much of a mom she is and I love that. I look
at my mom and my son's grandmother, too, so there are several ones. And I look
at mommies on the street who get to be out playing with their kids and I think,
"Wow! That's beautiful." And I'm learning from all of it. We'll see
how it goes.
EM:
Winnie Mandela is out September 6. What other things can we
look forward to from you this year?
JH: I have two more films coming out this year. [The
Inevitable Defeat of] Mister and Pete. I'll be playing a heroin
addict in that, and Black Nativity is coming out in November. I
EBONY: Well, we're such great admirers
of you and your work and we're definitely looking forward to all that you have
coming. Is there anything else--like wedding bells--we might hear about in the
near future?
JH:
[Laugh] I like how you threw that in there at the end! When I do, you'll be the
first to know.
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