Jennifer Hudson On Wishes, Weight Loss & Winnie Mandela

American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson has not one, but two covers for the April issue of Essence!

In the magazine, the singer-turned-actress opens up about her inspiration as a mother, her amazing weight loss, and the movie role that she just couldn't turn down.

"My wish is to be at least half as good as my mother was, as patient and as loving as she was, and to just give that to my son," Hudson says of her most important role - mom to 1-year-old David.

When it comes to her astonishing weight loss, Jennifer reveals that she was surprised by the overwhelming reactions she received from others that were also working to get healthier.

I didn't realize that so many people were watching me or that so many people were interested," Jennifer tells the magazine. "Now people come up to me saying, 'You've inspired me,' and I'm like, 'Wow.'"

So what does the Oscar-winning actress have going on now? She's currently working on a new movie about Winnie Mandela entitled Winnie, in which she has the starring role! And according to Hudson, nothing was going to stop her from being a part of this project - not even the tragedy that shocked her family two years ago.

"We were supposed to shoot the film two years ago. But with all that happened in my life, they waited," shares Hudson. "Even the director was saying, 'For you to take this project on with everything that happened shows you are really passionate about it.' So I just hopped into it. I just really wanted to be a part of telling the story."

For more of Jennifer Hudson's interview, check out the April issue of Essence on newsstands.