VIDEO: Jennifer Hudson Talks Taking on Empowering Role in HAIRSPRAY LIVE

Jennifer Hudson recently sat down with GoldDerby to have a conversation about what it was like taking on the iconic role of Motormouth Maybelle in NBC's Hairspray Live. Hudson describes the role as deeply empowering and very relevant to times today. She also touches on the difficulties in taking on a role that so many greats have played before her and how she brought her own experiences into the character. Check out the full interview for more.

Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Hairspray Live!" combines the dazzling excitement of musical theater with a message of love, inclusion, friendship and acceptance. In 1962 Baltimore, teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on "The Corny Collins Show." When, against all odds, she wins a role on the show, Tracy becomes a celebrity overnight and uses her newfound fame to campaign for the integration of the all-white TV program. With the support of her mother Edna, her father Wilbur, her best friend Penny, and her new friends, Link Larkin, Motormouth Maybelle, Seaweed J. Stubbs and Little Inez, Tracy teaches the world how to dance together. Starring Maddie Baillio, Dove Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth, Garrett Clayton, Harvey Fierstein, Ariana Grande, Derek Hough, Jennifer Hudson, Martin Short, Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright Joseph. "Hairspray Live!" brings together the creative talents of executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, script adaptor Harvey Fierstein, the original Broadway adaptation's choreographer Jerry Mitchell, original songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, two-time Emmy Award-winning live television director Alex Rudzinski, award-winning costume designer Mary Vogt, music director Lon Hoyt, and Emmy-Award winning production designer Derek McLane.

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