A SAG saga! Following the 2022 SAG Awards, which took place on Sunday, February 27, Jennifer Hudson’s hairstylist Kiyah Wright told Us Weekly’s Stylish that the Respect star nearly faced a wardrobe crisis ahead of the show — but handled it like a champ.
The near-incident occurred right before the show. “The rush to get to the car is always the craziest part of the day, but this one took the cake: We were all rushing to get Jennifer into the car, everyone was doing last-minute touch-ups, taking pictures, making sure her hair stays right and I got drips of product on [her] dress,” Wright recalls.
“I couldn’t believe it!” she continued. “This never happens to me, but luckily no one was mad and it wasn’t super visible. Jennifer looked great and she was excited for the award show.”
“Great” is an understatement. Hudson looked breathtaking in a half-up, half-down style brought to life using Maui Moisture products, particularly two standout formulas. Wright tells Us that she used Maui Moisture Flexible Hold + Coconut Milk Curl Foam Mousse ($7) on her wet hair to set and prep the look, followed by Maui Moisture Strength & Length + Castor Oil Curl Oil Gel (coming soon) to smooth the hair back and add shine.
The inspiration for Hudson’s hairstyle came from her light pink Vera Wang gown, which featured breathtaking floral-embroidered details. “For a statement look like this, I knew we had to do a hairstyle that was tight and straight back,” Wright explained. “Keep it off the shoulder and with little height so the dress could shine.”
Despite that minor hiccup that occurred on the way to the show, the rest of the getting-ready process went smoothly, and Wright goes as far to call it a “peaceful afternoon.” Per the pro, they prepped Hudson’s hair “in a hotel close to the venue in the early afternoon,” and it took a whopping “2.5 hours to create.”
And it wasn’t all work — there was some play, too. “We had some brunch, set a relaxing mood, listened to music and just all of the creative elements came together,” says Wright.
Hudson was nominated for “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role” for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in Respect. Her fellow nominees included Lady Gaga, Olivia Colman, Nicole Kidman and Jessica Chastain, who ultimately took home the award.
