It's hard to imagine someone besides Gabourey Sidibe playing the titular role of Claireece "Precious" Jones in Precious, but producers initially had a bigger name in mind for the role: Jennifer Hudson. However, after portraying Effie White in Dreamgirls, Hudson wasn't interested in taking on another character whose weight played a significant role in her story. In her 2012 book, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways And Lost What Weighed Me Down, Hudson wrote, "As much as I was moved by this film, I wanted to try a role that had nothing whatsoever to do with my weight." Later, after auditioning 500 women, director Lee Daniels finally discovered Sidibe.