Dinah Washington — Mary J. Blige in Respect (2021)

Dinah Washington — Mary J. Blige in Respect (2021)

Film: Respect  |  Director: Liesl Tommy  |  Year: 2021  |  Studio: MGM/United Artists  |  Co-Star: Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin

When you are making a biopic about Aretha Franklin and you need someone to play Dinah Washington, the legendary Queen of the Blues, the woman who influenced virtually every female R&B and jazz vocalist who came after her, who do you call? You call Mary J. Blige. Because who else?

About Respect

Respect is the 2021 biographical drama about the life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha in a performance that earned her widespread acclaim. The film covers Aretha's childhood, her complicated relationship with her father, her rise to fame, and the personal struggles she navigated throughout her extraordinary career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTtxoz3OIlU

Mary as Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Known as the Queen of the Blues, she had a voice of extraordinary range and power and a personality to match. She influenced Aretha Franklin deeply and appears in the film during a pivotal moment in young Aretha's life and development as an artist.

Playing Dinah Washington means inhabiting a real woman of enormous historical significance. It means capturing not just a performance style but a whole presence, an attitude toward music and life and artistry. Mary brought all of it with complete authenticity and confidence.

Two Queens in One Film

Think about what this film represents. Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin. Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington. Two of the greatest voices in the history of Black American music, sharing scenes together, one playing the artist who inspired generations and one playing the artist who inspired her. It is almost too beautiful to be real. But it happened. And it is one of the most extraordinary moments in recent musical cinema.

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