Singer/Actress Jennifer Hudson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday to speak about her current projects, including her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in an upcoming biopic.

“It’s always been my dream to play Aretha, and it’s actually happening,” Hudson said. “It blows my mind. I’ve always looked up to Aretha, and to portray her? I can’t even speak about it, because it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a huge task.’”

The Oscar-and Grammy-winning star revealed that Franklin personally chose her for the role. The biopic is in early production, but Hudson “can’t begin to imagine how long it’s going to take to cover” the Queen of Soul’s more-than-60-year career.