She’s an original Dreamgirl, Moesha’s stepmom and now Sheryl Lee Ralph will be a mother again as Cynthia Moore – Jennifer Hudson’s overbearing “momager” on Smash.

“I love this character,” she told reporters during a conference call Tuesday. “This is a woman who is so comfortable in her well-earned Manolo Blahniks that it is a joy just to get to play her.”

Comparing her roles as mother to Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2, Brandy in Moesha and JHud in Smash, Ralph revealed some details about Cynthia Moore.

“I love this mother on Smash because she is so grounded in the church, but at the same time, she knows how to handle the world,” Ralph said. “You can tell she’s been under the leadership of a strong bishop or two.”

Playing such a strong woman gained Ralph a great compliment from Smash execs, who compared her performance as Cynthia to Diahann Carroll’s Domonique Deveraux on Dynasty, the actress said.

Ralph, who will guest star on the NBC musical drama on Feb. 26, also revealed that she will be singing in the episode.

“Jennifer and I sing together just a bit, but it’s a good song, and it’s a good moment together,” she said, though she wouldn’t reveal what song the former Dreamgirls will be singing.

Speaking of good moments, Hudson made sure Ralph had a warm welcome to the set of Smash, delivering “the hugest, grandest, most beautiful arrangement of flowers” to Ralph’s dressing room.

“When I opened the envelope and saw that they were from Jen, I walked over to say thank you,” Ralph said. “And she looked at me and she said, ‘Ms. Ralph, you don’t have to tell me thank you for anything because you’re everything I ever really want to be.'”

Ralph will appear in next week’s “The Song” – an episode which will see Ronnie (Jennifer Hudson) struggling to pry herself free from her mother’s overbearing ways.

Manolo Blahniks? Overbearing? Sounds like Ivy and Ronnie might share a motherly problem.

Apart from her Tony-nominated role as Deena Jones (played by Beyonce in the movie) in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, Ralph also starred alongside Denzel Washington in The Mighty Quinn and Robert de Niro in Mistress. She also recently shot a pilot as Tia Mowry’s (Sister, Sister) mother in Instant Mom.

Smash airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on NBC. Until then, check out stills and a promo from “The Song” to tide you over.