Jennifer Hudson to Play Winnie Mandela

Jennifer Hudson (babble.com)

Jumping into Hollywood spotlight with a success in her Dreamgirls diva role, Jennifer Hudson is to play Winnie Mandela in a movie about the former South Africa first lady.

Won an Oscar for her supporting role in the musical movie back then in 1996, Hudson takes the lead role in this biopic one.

The former American Idol contestant seems to be really excited about it. “I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson said. “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.”

Ms Madikizela-Mandela is South Africa’s “mother of the nation.” Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years, owed her big time for helping him out of jail. However, next stories about the 72-year-old figure did not sound good. Four years after the release, Mandela filed a divorce against her. She had also been linked to the murder of young activist Stompie Seipei, and convicted of fraud in 2003.

South African movie-maker Darrell Roodt, whose movie Yesterday was the nominee for best foreign title at the 2006 Oscars, directs the film. His previous work also included Cry, The Beloved Country and Sarafina.

Winnie Mandela starts shooting in May 2010, with a screenplay based on Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob’s biography Winnie Mandela: A Life. Despite Hudson joining the cast, the movie is not a Hollywood production; some firms in South Africa and Canada pays the bills.

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