NEWSJennifer Hudson to Return to the Silver Screen
Nov. 18 2009, Published 9:52 a.m. ET
Jennifer Hudson will be making her first appearance in quite some time, in a flick that's sure to create tons of award show buzz! The Oscar-winning actress is set to star in Winnie, a drama that casts her as the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, Variety reports. The film begins shooting in South Africa, on May 30.
“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Jennifer told Variety. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”
Winnie Mandela has been depicted as the mother and wife who was a steadfast supporter of her activist husband. Winnie was also jailed for campaigning for Nelson's release and fighting against apartheid. Her image was tainted by association with a bodyguard who murdered a 14-year old, and she was also convicted of fraud.
The filmmakers plan to tell the whole story, showing the bad along with the good, according to Variety.
Jennifer is set to make her television comeback with her own ABC Christmas special, Jennifer Hudson: I’ll Be Home for Christmas, airing in December.
She will share childhood memories of growing up in Chicago and the people and places that played a part in her career.
Jennifer and her husband David Otunga's lives have changed a lot since the birth of their son, David Daniel Otunga Jr., but all for the better.
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“Oh my God, I mean, it’s just that more amazing,” the proud mom gushed. “We have a family now and it’s like, wow, it’s three of us. At first, it was two of us and now it’s actually three of us.”
