Jennifer Hudson Hairspray: Why Singer Is Nervous To Play Motormouth Maybelle In NBC Musical [VIDEO]
While Jennifer Hudson has been performing on the world's biggest stages, she is still nervous for her upcoming role in NBC's new live musical, Hairspray Live!
Hudson is set to take on the character of the feisty but loving Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray Live!, a role played by Mary Bond Davis on Broadway and Queen Latifah in the 2007 film adaptation. Having successfully completed a run on Broadway herself with The Color Purple, Hudson is well-versed in performing in musicals, but she is still anxious.
"Yes -- I was terrified for opening night on Broadway, and that is far more intimate," Hudson told Parade, when asked if she was nervous for Hairspray Live! "And then, right on the heels of that, I'm going to go do a live stage production televised for the world to see. I don't know what I'm thinking! But sometimes your passion has to be bigger than your fear."
As part of the character, Hudson will be sporting a blonde wig, which is a whole new experience for her.
"I'm starting to wonder. I've never had blonde hair in my life, so if I'm going to do it, it might as well be for Motormouth, right?" she said. "I ended up liking it. I was like, 'OK, I get it now-Maybe blondes do have more fun.'"
As for deciding to do the live musical in the first place, it was apparently an easy decision for Hudson.
"It didn't take too much enticing, to be honest. The art of it alone is a reason to want to be a part of it. 'Hairspray' is a musical classic, and the undertones of what the story is about are the icing on the cake," she said.
Hudson will have two standout moments in the upcoming production, singing "Big, Blonde and Beautiful" and "I Know Where I've Been", the latter being one of the musical's biggest showstoppers.
Hairspray Live! will air live Wednesday at 8/7c on NBC.
