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An emotional Oprah Winfrey and the cast of The color purple spoke about the transformative power of the upcoming film at its first public screening, and became spiritual as they mentioned its divine effect on their lives.
“For all of us here, it’s a story of, ‘Look what God has done,’” Winfrey, wearing a lilac sequined outfit in a nod to the musical, said on the panel after the screening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on Thursday evening.
Winfrey, producer of the musical starring Scott Sanders and nominated for an Oscar for her role as Sophia in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film adaptation, said the Alice Walker book on which the films are based helped her understand the sexual abuse she suffered underwent as a child.
“Until then I didn’t know there was language for what had happened to me,” she told the audience in a conversation moderated by Variety“Angelique Jackson. “I had been raped and had a child who later died, and I had no language to explain what that was. And that book was the first time a story about me appeared.”
Winfrey said starring in the film was a dream come true “that changed everything for me” and spoke of the joy of being able to return to the material as the film’s producer. “It’s a full-circle moment,” she added.
Winfrey also spoke about passing the torch to Danielle Brooks, who plays Sophia in the musical adaptation of Blitz Bazawule. Brooks cried as she talked about what the role meant to her, noting how Winfrey gave her the freedom to define Sophia as her own: “She held my hand and let me fly.”
Fantasia Barrino, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Celie in the Broadway musical adaptation of The Color Purple, said she was going to pass up the opportunity to reprise the role in the film until Bazawule convinced her.
‘He showed me… what women go through and how we sometimes have to imagine ourselves in a different place before we get there.’
Taraji P. Henson, who plays Shug Avery, also needed some convincing to take on the role in the musical film. “The funny thing about life: if something is meant for you, you can’t run away from it. I tried,” she said. “This is iconic. This is something that will live on forever.”
Brooks also took a moment to note the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which allowed the actors to promote the film, saying, “One hundred and eighteen days, y’all. We weren’t sure if we would be here at this time, and here we are.
Other cast members attending the panel included Corey Hawkins, who plays Harpo, Halle Bailey, who plays a young Nettie, Oscar and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter HER, who plays Squeak, and Phylica Pearl Mpsai, a young Celie.
The color purple hits theaters on Christmas Day.