It's been 10 years since audiences were mesmerized by Jennifer Hudson's Academy Award-winning performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls. Based on the Broadway production of the same name, the film adaptation also featured the characters Deena Jones (Beyoncé) and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) as the Dreams, an R&B trio out of Detroit who are managed by Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). With a showstopping performance from Eddie Murphy as Jimmy “Thunder” Early, Dreamgirls and its motion picture soundtrack have delighted music lovers for a decade. Take a look at what the cast has been up to since the final curtain call.
Jamie Foxx, Then
Jamie Foxx portrayed Curtis Taylor Jr., the ruthless record executive at Rainbow Records and love interest of two women in his star group, the Dreams. Foxx took on the role, which was based loosely on the life of Berry Gordy, in Dreamgirls just a year after he received the Academy Award for best actor for Ray.
Jamie Foxx, Now
In 2014, he starred as Will Stacks (formerly known as Daddy Warbucks) in the remake of Annie. Foxx recently announced that he would produce a limited series about Marvin Gaye. Earlier this year, he made news for rescuing a 32-year-old man from a burning truck.
Anika Noni Rose, Then
Rose portrays Lorrell Robinson, one of the singers in the Dreams, who becomes Jimmy’s mistress while on tour. Rose co-starred in the Broadway production Caroline, or Change, for which she won a Tony Award in 2004.
Anika Noni Rose, Now
In 2016, Rose had a recurring role on the hit Starz drama Power as a crooked police officer who is a longtime friend of 50 Cent’s character. She also starred as Kizzy in the Roots remake, which aired earlier this year. She is set to star in the yet-to-be-aired series The Yard, which will run on BET, and is in talks to produce a Shirley Chisholm biopic.
Keith Robinson, Then
Robinson portrayed Effie’s brother, C.C., who had high ambitions of making it big as a songwriter. Believe it or not, the actor and singer was once the green Power Ranger. In 2007, he was part of the ensemble cast of This Christmas.
Keith Robinson, Now
Robinson was a co-star on Saints & Sinners, a soap opera about a small-town church in Georgia, which aired on Bounce TV. Robinson was tapped to play Atron Gregory, Tupac’s first manager, in the upcoming biopic All Eyez on Me.
Sharon Leal, Then
Leal’s character, Michelle, replaces Effie in the Dreams and later dates C.C. Previously, Leal had appeared on several TV shows, including Guiding Light and Boston Public, but she’d also taken up several roles in off-Broadway and Broadway productions. Most notably, she appeared in Rent as well as Bright Lights, Big City.
Sharon Leal, Now
Leal has kept very busy in the last several years. She’s held recurring roles in TV series such as Supergirl, Grimm and Recovery Road, and has starred in films such as Addicted and the Why Did I Get Married franchise. Up next, she is slated to appear in the film No Regrets, which features Loretta Devine, Brian White, Elise Neal and several other black actors.
Hinton Battle, Then
Wayne worked for Curtis at the Cadillac dealership and later became his right-hand man at Rainbow Records. Battle has a long history with Dreamgirls. He portrayed Jimmy “Thunder” Early on Broadway in the ’80s. In 2006, he also choreographed Idlewild.
Hinton Battle, Now
Battle is a three-time Tony Award winner who has since directed and choreographed several stage productions, including Respect, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Evil Dead and Sistas: The Musical. In February, he will judge the DanzeOff competition with Debbie Allen and Savion Glover.
Mariah I. Wilson, Then
Wilson portrayed Magic, Effie and Curtis’ young daughter. Dreamgirls was Wilson’s big-screen debut, and shortly afterward, in 2007, she appeared on the family drama Lincoln Heights.
Mariah I. Wilson, Now
Since her big-screen debut in Dreamgirls at age 12, Wilson has appeared on several TV shows, including Body of Proof, NCIS: Los Angeles, House and Drunk History. She attends the University of Southern California.
Beyoncé, Then
Beyoncé appeared in Dreamgirls as Deena Jones, the lead singer of the Dreams, who falls in love with Curtis. She was later nominated for a Golden Globe award for the role. That same year, she appeared in The Pink Panther and released her second solo album, B’Day.
Beyoncé, Now
The year 2016 was big for Beyoncé. She released one of the top albums of the year, Lemonade (along with a 60-minute visual album of the same name that appeared on HBO), and leads the 2017 Grammy nominations with nine nods, becoming the most nominated woman in the award show’s history. She performed at the Super Bowl and later embarked on the Formation World Tour.
Eddie Murphy, Then
Jimmy’s got s-o-u-l, soul! Eddie Murphy starred as Jimmy “Thunder” Early, the loudmouthed, headstrong performer who falls for Lorrell, a member of the Dreams—despite being married. Just months after the release of Dreamgirls, he starred in Norbit … quite the 180 after such a critically acclaimed role.
Eddie Murphy, Now
Most recently, Murphy has starred in Mr. Church, which was largely panned by critics as another tale of a black man being a white man’s servant. In 2015, he also returned to Saturday Night Live for a brief and uneventful comedy sketch. In November, he floated the idea of returning to the stage but stressed that it would not be for a typical stand-up comedy routine, according to OkayPlayer.
Jennifer Hudson, Then
Jennifer Hudson first entered the pop culture lexicon in 2004 as a contestant in the reality-singing competition American Idol. Although she came in seventh place, she won the hearts of viewers. Just two years later, she nabbed the starring role in Dreamgirls as Effie White, her first feature film appearance. She won several accolades for that role, including best supporting actress for both the Golden Globes and the Academy Award. In 2007, she had a supporting role in the hit movie Sex and the City.
Jennifer Hudson, Now
Most recently, Hudson starred as Motormouth Maybelle in the live musical production Hairspray on NBC. Since Dreamgirls, she has released three studio albums. She has portrayed Winnie Mandela and also, in 2015, starred as Shug Avery in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical The Color Purple.
Danny Glover, Then
Danny Glover portrayed Marty Madison, Jimmy’s manager before Curtis takes the reins. He had mentored Jimmy for years and then helped Effie bounce back later in her career. Glover appeared in several movies that year, including The Shaggy Dog, Bamako and Barnyard.
Danny Glover, Now
He’s co-starred in several films this year, including Dirty Grandpa and the holiday film Almost Christmas, which features several of your favorite black actors. Recently, Glover also appeared in a public service announcement about police brutality alongside Michael K. Williams, Michael B. Jordan, and several other activists and celebrities.