VIDEO: Jennifer Hudson Says She Auditioned for the Role of Aretha Franklin for Over a Decade

Jennifer Hudson talks about when she first met Aretha Franklin, the role the artist's music played in her life and returning to the stage.

Watch the clip from Late Night With Seth Meyers below!

Hudson won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in Dreamgirls. Aretha Franklin biopic RESPECT was released in theaters on August 13th.

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career from a child singing in her father's church's choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.

The cast also includes Audra McDonald as Barbara Franklin, Tituss Burgess as Reverend Doctor James Cleveland, Forest Whitaker as C.L. Franklin, Marlon Wayans as Ted White, Marc Maron as Jerry Wexler, Kimberly Scott as Mama Franklin, Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklin, Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin, Heather Headley as Clara Ward, Skye Dakota Turner as Young Aretha Franklin, Tate Donovan as John Hammond, and Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington.

Tommy is the first Black woman ever nominated for a Tony award for Best Direction of a Play in 2016 for Eclipsed, and is an Associate Artist at the Berkeley Rep and an Artist Trustee with The Sundance Institute's Board of Trustees.