Reining in a life lived so largely and indelibly was one of Tommy’s first tasks: “I sometimes feel when you’re watching a cradle-to-grave biopic, whether it’s a politician or a musician, it’s too general for my personal storytelling taste,” says the Cape Town native. “Because then you start to check things off a list instead of having them driven by an emotional journey. So I was interested in focusing on a finite period and really understanding how she became who she became.
“It’s a part of Black American culture — if you’re of a certain age, Aretha was in your house in some way, shape, or form. I don’t remember my life without her voice,” says Broadway veteran McDonald, 50, who portrays Franklin’s mother, Barbara, a gifted singer in her own right felled by a heart attack when her daughter was just 10.
For all that Franklin endured in her formative years, though, there’s one origin-story touchstone you won’t find here: the rags-to-riches rise. Her preacher father, C.L., Wilson says, “was basically the king of his time, hugely popular and influential, a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. So she grew up in this household where politics was as normal as singing.
For Hudson, the dominance of the men in Franklin’s life — her brother Cecil was also her longtime manager — only made sense for the times: “Think about the place that women were in back then. They were probably treated like a child, no say-so of their own. So to be a woman like Aretha, to make your own way, to be the boss at a time like that is unheard of, you know? I always like to say what men can’t conquer, they like to destroy,” she says with a level gaze.
I can't wait to see this film. Jennifer looks absolutely stunning.
This says it all! Cannot wait, IAMJHUD! RespectMovie is one for the ages!
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