Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Dreamgirls”
10. And I Am Telling You
The scene where Effie sings “And I Am Telling You” was huge for the movie. It was so important that director Bill Condon purposely waited until the end of filming to shoot it. And it wasn’t a quick process. Jennifer could only sing for four hours at a time before losing her voice, and she couldn’t lip sync properly, so it ended up taking four days to complete. Condon even needed more money to finish the scene. But all of that hard work and extra money definitely paid off. Not only did Hudson win an Oscar for her performance but audiences were moved as well. I don’t know where you were or who you were with when you first saw this scene; but I know when I first saw this film, in the theaters, people literally gasped and applauded after Jennifer Hudson sang this song. It was that powerful.
