By: Patricia Trutescu

Jennifer Hudson, the Academy-Award-winning actress, is set to star as Veronica Moore on NBC’s Smash. According to The Grio, the R&B singer will appear in a multi-episode arc during the second season of this musical drama when it returns to the NBC schedule in the fall.

“First Dreamgirls, now Smash,” exclaims the show’s executive producer, Steven Spielberg. He adds, “I have no doubt Jennifer will continue to deliver even more inspiration to the audience responsible for giving us a second season on NBC.”

Hudson will act the part of a Tony-Award-winning Broadway performer who impacts the lives of Karen, played by Katherine McPhee, and Ivy, played by Megan Hilty. Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC Entertainment says that Jennifer Hudson’s character “will represent someone who reached their Broadway dream but also paid a price for it.”

The actress whose career took off with a starring role as Effie White in the 2006 film, Dreamgirls, will also begin production on two new films. They are Lullaby and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete.