No, the title of this article isn’t an outtake joke from the infamous CHUD Oscar podcast. besides if you listened to that, you now already likely know every possible variant on Jennifer Hudson fat jokes. What you may not know is that she really seems to be taking this acting shit seriously, and she wants to avoid being a stunt Oscar winner who wins for playing a variation of herself only to never be seen or heard from again. And while I’m sure she’s had some starring offers thrown her way after her well-deserved win as the force of nature of Dreamgirls, she’s considering what I think is the much smarter move: taking a small role in a fantastic ensemble that’ll help make you look good before playing the star again.

We’ve done a couple of stories on the upcoming drama Winged Creatures, and every time we turn around, someone else good-to-great joins the cast. To date, they’ve landed Forest Whitaker, Guy Pearce, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, and Jackie Earle Haley, who’s also wisely looking to capitalize on his recent Oscar attention. Now, Hudson is in talks to play Whitaker’s daughter in the movie. The only question mark is if the scheduling will work with her (no pun intended) big debut album on Arista due for release this fall. I would think there’s gotta be a way to make this work if for no other reason than she’ll need something else to talk about for an hour when she makes her inevitable re-appearance on Oprah. Besides, even if it couldn’t be reconciled, the music industry is kind of in the toilet right now, so there’s no way that should be her first priority anymore. She’s got a chance at a viable long-term acting career if she plays her cards right.

Spending quality time with an uncommonly good ensemble like this is the first step in making that happen. The film’s story looks to be interesting as well, as it’s based on a novel about a group of survivors of a brutal restaurant murder coming to terms with their trauma. I want to see it in any case, but I do hope Hudson’s in it and makes a good showing while she’s at it.