Jennifer Hudson on who influenced her new Netflix movie role

— -- While she's an icon to many of her fans, Jennifer Hudson says two music legends -- Whitney Houston and Babyface -- influenced her performance in the new Netflix original movie, "Sandy Wexler."

In the film, Hudson plays an aspiring singer named Courtney Clarke opposite Adam Sandler, who plays talent agent Sandy Wexler. She told ABC Radio that the first movie Whitney Houston ever starred in was the prototype for the film, and the late diva herself inspired Courtney's style and her music.

"I remember Adam and Steven Brill, the director, saying it's kind of like a comedic version of 'The Bodyguard,' in a way. And you definitely feel the sentiment of Whitney throughout the film, even with the song 'DJ,' it kind of has more of a 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' or 'My Name is Not Susan' type of vibe to it," Hudson said.

"And even my style -- Whitney was a huge reference for a lot of the looks for Courtney in the film," she added.

As for Babyface, he was a musical collaborator on the film, and Hudson said she was excited to reunite with him. They had previously worked together on her third studio album, "JHUD," though what they recorded didn't end up in the album.

"I was able to double back and work with him on this project," she told ABC Radio. "And he did three songs for Sandy -- "DJ," "Butterflies" and "Make You Wanna Feel My Love." So I got to work with Babyface again, and who's not a fan of Babyface?"

"Sandy Wexler" is now available to stream on Netflix.