The Stunning Transformation Of Gabourey Sidibe

Sidibe had dabbled a little in acting, but wasn't very serious about it, when she heard about the opportunity to play the part in the movie Precious, based on the novel Push, by Sapphire. Precious Jones is an obese, illiterate New York teenager who has had one child by her father, and is pregnant with the second. While not a happy story, it does become a more hopeful one. And, one especially close to the heart, for a young actress with a real history of an abusive father.

It had taken months to find the right person to play Precious, and it was Sidibe, who showed up late but "blew everyone away," according to The New York Times. She "cried real tears" in the audition. Explaining her portrayal of the character, she said, "I kind of had in my mind that she wasn't the ugliest person in the room, but she felt like she was."