Respect! Aretha Franklin (Still) Wants Audra McDonald to Headline Her Biopic

From Lady Day to Queen of Soul? If anyone can, Audra McDonald can! In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, 18-time Grammy-winning music legend Aretha Franklin revealed she’s still in negotiations to have her life portrayed on film, and she wants the Tony winner to play her. “It would be her job to bring it home,” she said. “The question is whether she has that ability.”

This isn’t the first time Franklin has expressed this sentiment. Franklin reportedly put McDonald on her shortlist in 2012 after attending a performance of Porgy & Bess on Broadway. But fear not, Franklin. McDonald has proven herself a performer who can expertly channel beloved musical icons. In June, she took home her record-breaking sixth Tony Award for her performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.

In an interview with Broadway.com last year, McDonald praised Franklin, saying, “She’s a deep, amazing person with a great history and legacy.” Of potentially playing her on screen, she said, “It would be an honor to play her. If it happens, great. If not, I’m sure someone else will do her justice.”

In addition to Lady Day, McDonald has won Tony awards for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun and Porgy and Bess. On screen, she has appeared in The Sound of Music Live!, Annie, Private Practice and Wit. She is rumored to be attached to the projects Corrina, Corrina and Night, Mother opposite Oprah Winfrey.