Had Jennifer Hudson not been offered the role of Effie White in “Dreamgirls,” there’s a possibility it would’ve gone to “Black Lady Sketch Show” actress Yvette Nicole Brown!
During Brown’s appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” on Tuesday, Feb. 7, she shared that she auditioned for Effie White ”way before” casting directors had placed Hudson in the role.
Though she did not receive the role, “Dreamgirls” director Bill Condon still has Brown and two others “popping in, doing stuff until you all got cast,” said Brown.
Brown noted that she along with the two other fill-ins accepted Condon’s offer until the “Dreamgirls” cast was officially constructed; the cast would eventually include Hudson, Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose, and more.
The 51-year-old also shared that although she wasn’t given a main part in the musical drama, Condon did give her a part in the film, which was later cut.
“Now, you haven’t seen’ me in Dreamgirls, ‘cause my part was cut,” she said. “All that remains is a picture of me walking with Jamie Foxx across the lobby, in a horrible polyester suit.”
Hudson, amazed at her guest’s story, jokingly replied, “So you almost took my role?” in which the Emmy-nominated actress expressed disappointment over not receiving the role, but added that she understood why Hudson landed the role, after hearing her sing the now popular ballad, “And I Am Telling You.”
“You lose a role so you’re sad, so I’m in the theater, and you, you.. The first note of ‘And I Am Telling You.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s why she got it. I can’t feel bad she’s about to win an Oscar,’ I just knew it. I knew it,” said Brown.
As it turned out, Brown’s feeling was true because Hudson went on to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 79th Oscars in 2007.
The 41-year-old also racked up several other awards for her portrayal of Effie White, such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics Choice Award, an NAACP Award, and several others.
Hudson also accompanies actors Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones, and now Viola Davis as one of the few entertainers who’ve obtained EGOT status.
