Jennifer Hudson as Winnie Madela in new film — Page 2

All I'm going to write is that in the trailer HE is convincing in his role.

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Dreamgirls...

"Elba might not look a thing like Mandela but he is a charismatic, dynamic actor who should have had a vehicle like this years ago."

Thanks for sharing, strummergirl!

I have a number of friends from South Africa who are old enough to have given me a first-hand account of the apartheid era and aftermath. Neither they nor I had any interest in the movie starring Jennifer Hudson whom I'm fond of as a singer when she meets with the right material. I did think that Terrence Howard bore a striking resemblance to a young Nelson Mandela in the trailer though.

ETC: The doggone spell-check changed South Africa to South America.

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Updated On: 8/10/13 at 04:41 PM

Here is a clip of Jennifer playing Winnie while she is in solidarity confinement.

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/jennifer-hudson-told-no-talking-in-winnie-mandela-clip-20130829

I don't expect the film to get very good reviews at all. Even though she's already won an Oscar and a Grammy I still wish her the very best in her career. I met her in January 2012 at a book signing and she was such a sweetheart.

The film is currently at a very promising 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Shes a horrendous actress. No idea how she was cast.

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~ will they cover winnie's murder and fraud charges and her unfaithfulness to mandela while he was imprisoned?

~ of course not.

~ this is a romantic comedy.

Hudson's Oscar for Dreamgirls was well-deserved. The award is for a single performance. Not for overall career achievement (well, okay, they like to confuse that once in a while). And it's not a substitute for graduating from the best acting schools. It's not a diploma or a certificate for "paying your dues" either.

There have been "non-actors" who have won in the past. People with no experience at all. Some who have never gone on to act again. Some who peaked with a single performance. Hudson (so far) would qualify, but since she has risen to the occasion once before, there is no reason to believe she can't do it again. She needs a good director and the "perfect role" for her, if she's going to get there. She doesn't have the goods to back it up, otherwise.

Even someone like Elizabeth Taylor relied heavily on a director guiding her through a part. She gave some of the best AND some of the worst performances ever captured on film.

Marissa Tomei was written off after her "surprise" win, but then years later, she rebounded with a couple of award-worthy performances, proving she wasn't just a flash-in-the-pan.

Others who were "one-offs" besides Hudson:

Tatum O'Neal
Harold Russell
Haing S. Ngor

Film acting is a strange thing. You don't need technique, or training, or a resume a mile long to give a brilliant screen performance. Still, you have to be able to rise to the occasion when the elements (director, role, writing) align.

Hudson most definitely rose to the occasion. I watched Dreamgirls again recently, and she absolutely deserved that award, IMO.

Does that mean she's a "major actress" now? No. It means she "got there" once, and was the best of the bunch.

EDIT: I will also add that Hudson didn't just win the Oscar that year. It wasn't an "Academy thing." She won almost every major and minor acting award for Dreamgirls:

Academy Award
BAFTA
BET
Broadcast Film Critics
Central Ohio Film Critics
Florida Film Critics
Golden Globe
Image Award
Las Vega Film Critics
MTV Movie Award
National Board of Review
National Society of Film Critics
New York Film Critics
Palm Springs Film Critics
Phoenix Film Critics
Satellite Awards
SAG Award
ShoWest Award
Southeaster Film Critics
Teen Choice Award
Washington DC Film Critics

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Updated On: 8/30/13 at 09:21 AM

I thought she was incredible in Dreamgirls. She just hasn't been in anything I have seen her do since.

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She was terrible in Sex and the City, but the movie wasn't very good either.

~ thank you for putting things into perspective besty.

~ hudson's performance in 'dreamgirls' was the heart and soul of that film and her oscar was richly deserved

~ i'm also glad you took the time to point out that ampas wasn't the only organization to see fit to award her for her performance, i was about to do it myself.

~ she achieved what many thought she would not be able to do: fill jennifer holliday's shoes.

~ well, not only did she fill them she sashayed in those shoes and picked up a couple of awards and accolades along the way.

~ and no one can take that away from her, regardless of their opinions.

Updated On: 8/30/13 at 12:54 PM

She deserved to win the Oscar for 'Dreamgirls'. She was not playing herself in the film at all. I honestly think if she did not win it might have been one of the biggest robberies at an Oscars since Grace Kelly won in 'The Country Girl' over Judy Garland in 'A Star is Born'.

Im not trying to be mean, but did the gentleman with no hands get an Oscar for his acting or for having no hands. (see: the Billy Elliots Tonys). Sympathy does happen in the voting process.

It's only mean if your question is rhetorical, considering you haven't seen the movie. See it, and you tell me. I thought his performance was excellent and well deserving. It's subtle, and real, and at times very moving. There is nothing sensational or showy about it.

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