Jennifer Hudson went to prison to play Winnie

New York: Hollywood star Jennifer Hudson prepared for her role as Nelson Mandela`s ex-wife Winnie by confining herself to a prison cell to experience the ‘hell’ of life behind bars.

The Oscar-winning singer and actress plays the title role in filmmaker Darrell Roodt`s new biopic, which documents Winnie`s life, her fight against apartheid and her marriage to the former South African president. Hudson was determined to make her portrayal authentic, and spent five days locked up in an African jail after learning that Winnie served more than 500 days in solitary confinement, reported Newsweek magazine. "(I attempted to) experience some of the hell that woman went through... They snatched her out of her home and she had no idea what happened to her children. Imagine living that? This was her life! This was real. "As a woman, I am angry for her, hurting for her. And as a mom? God, being in solitary confinement, away from my son just for five days when shooting those scenes - it was too much for me. I was drained and stripped down. I was changed," said Hudson. PTI