Jennifer Hudson On Broadway? How 'Smash' Helped Her Prepare

Jennifer Hudson looks at her time on "Smash" as a training program for Broadway.

The Oscar winner has a multi-episode arc on the NBC musical as Veronica Moore, a Tony-winning actress, and told EW the show is prepping her for the Great White Way.

"It's not easy being on the stage, on Broadway," Hudson told EW. "I take my hat off to those people."

Hudson said it was an immediate "yes" when she got the call for "Smash." "Doing the show has helped me get my feet wet for Broadway," Hudson said. "I like to take one step at a time and I feel like this was a huge leap, but a great start into walking into that world, which is something I definitely want to do one day."

In a behind-the-scenes video from NBC, Hudson said she had a ball recording the original songs.

"You're constantly creating new things on so many different levels," she said. "One minute you're in the studio, the next second you're doing choreography, the next second you're acting. It's a huge challenge, but I love it."

Click over to EW for more from Hudson and "Smash" stars Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee.

"Smash" Season 2 premieres Tuesday, February 5 at 9 p.m. EST. The series moves to its regular timeslot, 10 p.m. EST, on Tuesday, February 12 on NBC.

• "The Read Through"

  Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright in "Smash."

• "The Song"

  Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore in "Smash."

• "The Dramaturg"

  Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore in "Smash."

• "The Dramaturg"

  Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright in "Smash."

• "The Dramaturg"

  Debra Messing as Julia Houston, Christian Borle as Tom Levitt in "Smash."

• "The Read Through"

  Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright, Jeremy Jordan as Jimmy Collins in "Smash."

• "The Fringe"

  Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright, Jeremy Jordan as Jimmy Collins in "Smash."

• "On Broadway"

  Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore.

• "On Broadway"

  Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore.

• "The Fallout"

  Anjelica Huston as Eileen Rand.

• "The Fallout"

  Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn.

• Debra Messing

  Debra Messing in "Smash."

• Anjelica Huston

  Anjelica Huston in "Smash."

• Christian Borle

  Christina Borle in "Smash."

• Jack Davenport

  Jack Davenport in "Smash."

• Jennifer Hudson

  Jennifer Hudson in "Smash."

• Katharine McPhee

  Katharine McPhee in "Smash."

• Krysta Rodriguez

  Krysta Rodriguez in "Smash."

• Jeremy Jordan

  Jeremy Jordan in "Smash."

• Leslie Odom Jr.

  Leslie Odom Jr. in "Smash."

• Andy Mientus

  Andy Mientus on "Smash."

• Megan Hilty

  Megan Hilty in "Smash."

• "Smash" Cast

  Anjelica Huston, Christian Borle, Debra Messing; Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Jennifer Hudson, Megan Hilty; Krysta Rodriguez, Leslie Odom Jr., Andy Mientus, Jack Davenport

• "Smash" Cast

  Anjelica Huston, Jennifer Hudson, Jack Davenport, Krysta Rodriguez, Leslie Odom Jr., Jeremy Jordan; Megan Hilty, Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Andy Mientus, Katharine McPhee.

• Jennifer Hudson

  Jennifer Hudson in "Smash."

• Jeremy Jordan

  Jeremy Jordan in "Smash."

• Krysta Rodriguez

  Krysta Rodriguez in "Smash."

• Andy Mientus

  Andy Mientus in "Smash."

• Katharine McPhee

  Katharine McPhee in "Smash."

• Debra Messing

  Debra Messing in "Smash."

• Christian Borle

  Christian Borle in "Smash."

• Leslie Odom Jr.

  Leslie Odom Jr. in "Smash."

• Jack Davenport

  Jack Davenport in "Smash."

• Anjelica Huston

  Anjelica Huston in "Smash."

• Megan Hilty

  Megan Hilty in "Smash."

• Josh Safran

  New "Smash" boss Josh Safran.

• "Smash" Season 2 Art

  The cast of "Smash" Season 2.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/jennifer-hudson-broadway-smash_n_2395898.html

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