*Sheryl Lee Ralph stopped by “The Jennifer Hudson Show” on Tuesday (Sept. 20) to dish about her historic Emmy win last week at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards last week. She also reflected on her role as the original Deena Jones in “Dreamgirls.”
“I’ll never forget my audition,” Lee Ralph told Hudson, Revolt reports. “Because I remember that day walking into — it was 890 Broadway, Michael Bennett’s big theater — and I walked in there. And I was walking behind Loretta Devine, because [Devine] was already, you know, becoming [Devine]. And these women in the room, they were not singers, they were sangers, baby. The building was literally levitating off the concrete. That’s how wonderful they were. And then there was me.”
Ralph appeared in the original 1981 Broadway production of “Dreamgirls.” She told Hudson about the moment she won the role.
“They were very quiet. I think they were thinking something more in the Baptist vein. And they did not know I was a little Episcopalian girl,” she remarked. “So I sang my little song, and I sat down. At the end of the day, they said very dramatically, ‘If I call your name, it’s your day; if I don’t, it’s not.’ Yes, it was very dramatic. And then they said, ‘Loretta Devine.’ Uh, duh. ‘Ramona Brooks and,’ and I’m gettin’ ready to leave, ‘and Sheryl Lee Ralph.’”
READ MORE: Sheryl Lee Ralph Confronted Jimmy Kimmel for Stealing Quinta Brunson’s Emmys Spotlight
Hudson starred in the 2006 film adaptation of “Dreamgirls,” playing Effie White. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. On her show on Tuesday, she and Sheryl had a special “Dreamgirls” moment by serving up an impromptu performance. Watch the segment via the YouTube clip above.
Hudson’s new daytime talk show debuted Sept. 12. We reported previously the singer/actress doubles up as an executive producer on her show. Other executive producers from the aforementioned are Walter Williams III, Graehme Morphy, and Lisa Kasteler Calio. Shani Black will also be around as a co-executive producer.
“I’ve worked with Mary, Andy and Corey across multiple shows for the past nine years, and I’m thrilled that we’re able to keep them in the family because they are truly the best in the business,” said the president of Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, Mike Darnell, previously in a statement. “With Jennifer’s incredible talents, and the addition of Lisa, Graehme, Walter and Shani to the producing team, I know this show is going to be fantastic and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Hudson and Darnell first met when the former was an “American Idol” contestant. Coincidentally, it is this show that brought her to the limelight. Darnell was by then the head of reality programming at Fox, and he oversaw the singing competition show at the network.
“I knew who she was, and she’s still a Chicago native who is down to earth, authentic, easygoing and funny as hell,” Darnell said about Hudson in an interview with Variety. “I knew we could translate that into a talk show.”
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