Trivia / Dreamgirls

• Actor Allusion: Deena witnessing the fallout where Effie finds out that Michelle has replaced her in the group in person. Beyonce went through a similar experience, albeit geared toward former Destiny's Child bandmates Letoya Luckett and Latavia Roberson, who did not know they were out of the group until seeing the "Say My Name" video.
• Award Category Fraud: Jennifer Hudson won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing Effie White, even though this role is seen as a lead on stage and had earned Jennifer Holliday a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. However, the Academy Awards traditionally reserve Best Actor/Actress for more experienced performers, while Best Supporting Actor/Actress includes newer talent, even if they're in a lead role. The fraud is especially noticeable since Beyoncé was nominated as a leading actress at the Golden Globes, even though Hudson was playing the true lead with a larger role. The effect is a bit of an Ignored Aesop, since the movie is about Effie getting sidelined out of her leading role in order to promote the more marketable Deena.
• Awesome, Dear Boy: Jamie Foxx originally turned the film down because the salary was insufficient. He changed his mind when he saw that Eddie Murphy and Beyoncé were attached.
  • Beyonce herself also counts—she outright stated that Deena Jones was her dream role and, in a mix of heartwarming and Crazy-Prepared, brought her own dress and wig to the studio when she auditioned.
• Billing Displacement:
  • Curtis makes Deena the star of the group and pushes Effie into the background because Deena is more marketable, even though Effie is more talented and the original lead singer of the group. Then for the film version, Beyonce Knowles (as Deena) got top billing while Jennifer Hudson (as Effie) was officially designated a "supporting actress", even though Effie is the main character of the story.
  • Jennifer Hudson got a spectacular "And Introducing" credit and an Oscar, so perhaps it evens out.
• Cut Song:
  • In the film, "Effie, Sing My Song" would've been sung by C.C. to Effie during their reconciliation at the jazz club, but it was cut after negative test audience reactions. However, it can still be found in the extras on the DVD and is reinstated in the 2017 extended director's cut.
  • “Ain’t No Party”, Lorrell’s only solo number, was omitted from the film early on and never recorded. Anika Noni Rose did perform it for her screen test, however, which can be viewed in the DVD/Blu-Ray extras.
• Dawson Casting: Despite playing Lorrell, the youngest and shyest of the Dreams, Anika Noni Rose is the oldest of the three women by almost a decade and the most accomplished actress by far, having performed on Broadway since the late 90's and winning a Tony in 2004.
• Died During Production: Tom Eyen died in 1991, forcing Henry Krieger to collaborate with three separate groups of lyricists on the film's movie bonus songs.
• Disowned Adaptation: Downplayed - Original Broadway star Jennifer Holliday initially felt the film was merely “good”, and was also incredibly hurt the producers never contacted her about a possible cameo. She also felt Jennifer Hudson didn’t show enough outward appreciation for the part Holliday played in helping shape the role of Effie into what it became. However, Holliday has since acknowledged that both the film and initial snub helped her career in the long run, and memorably performed a duet of “And I Am Telling You…” with Hudson in 2007 at the BET Awards.
• Dyeing for Your Art:
  • Jennifer Hudson, while having a nice set of curves herself, had to bulk up to play Effie as depicted onstage.
  • Beyonce lost weight, during a break in filming, to make herself look younger for the teenage and early years of Deena Jones.
• Enforced Method Acting: Bill Condon instructed Jennifer Hudson to show up late on the set every day, to better understand Effie's diva behavior.
• Life Imitates Art: See Billing Displacement in the main section.
• Playing Against Type: Downplayed. Eddie Murphy is best known for his comedic roles, but Jimmy Early's Large Ham nature still played to his strengths.
• Remake Cameo: Loretta Devine, who played Lorell onstage, cameos as a club singer reminiscing about Jimmy following his death. She even gets the solo "I Miss You, Old Friend."
• Scully Box: Anika Noni Rose is significantly shorter than Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson, let alone the men, leading to the use of tricks to get her in the same shot as everyone else.
• Starmaking Role: Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Loretta Devine were the original Dreams, and all three became Broadway stars following the musical's success, with Devine and Ralph expanding into film and television as well.
• What Could Have Been:
  • During the stage musical's workshop phase, Effie originally died at the conclusion of Act 1 which was eventually changed after Jennifer Holliday expressed her displeasure. If this had been kept in, it would've brought more similarities between Dreamgirls and the Supremes as Florence Ballard had died of a heart attack a few years after being removed from the group.
  • Sheryl Lee Ralph was offered the role of Deena's mother but turned it down.
  • Denzel Washington turned down the role of Curtis Taylor Jr. Will Smith was also considered.
  • Spike Lee considered directing the film in the early '90s, with Jasmine Guy as Deena Jones.
  • Whitney Houston and Aaliyah were also considered during the movie's years in Development Hell.