Actress Jennifer Hudson says she refused to take a call from popular U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey because she thought it was a joke.

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Winfrey wanted to praise Hudson for her performance in the upcoming movie, "Dreamgirls," but Hudson told Newsweek she would not take the call because she believed it was her manager playing a practical joke.

"I was resting my voice, and I thought it was my manager playing around!" the 25-year-old actress said. "It took about 30 seconds before I realized, 'Oh my God, this is Oprah for real'"

The former "American Idol" contestant said that when she did talk to the famed TV personality, Winfrey had only kind words for work in the movie.

"She said my performance was like a religious experience," Hudson told Newsweek. "She said words were not enough to define it. She said, 'I'm so proud of you.'"