Oprah joined three of the stars of her upcoming movie, an adaptation of The Color Purple musical, earlier today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. As part of a celebration of Warner Bros.’ 100th anniversary, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia—who are playing Shug Avery, Sofia, and Celie, respectively—participated in a Q&A session with Oprah, who is a producer on the new film, as well as director Blitz Bazawule.
To start off, Oprah and Bazawule were welcomed to the stage. “Finding the right director was the most crucial part of the process, and Blitz, you have such a unique voice and a singular artistry,” Oprah began. “We knew you were the director to bring this version to the screen.”
Oprah then shared that the movie will be best enjoyed with others. “For me, The Color Purple has always been a celebration of sisterhood,” she said, speaking of Celie, Sofia, and Shug. “They are survivors because of their inner strength, and that is how Celie especially finds her voice. And in this film, boy, does she have a voice."
From there, the event got even more exciting: Oprah and Bazawule introduced the very first peek at footage from The Color Purple. The teaser featured a few moments from the film, including a tagline—“Not Your Mama’s Color Purple”—and plenty of the musical magic.
Next up, Oprah brought the three actresses—Henson, Brooks, and Fantasia—onto the stage. The group had a heartwarming conversation about what The Color Purple means to them. “I was blown away because this is a fiber of the community, this story,” Henson began. “We had to read the book in college, and then the movie came out, and as an actor studying theater, we did so many of those monologues. It was full circle for me.”
She added, “Shug was a woman who gave a lot of love, who loved a lot of men, but didn’t know how to love herself. It took a sister to show her how to love herself, and she, in turn, showed Celie how to love herself. That’s why women need women. We need each other, and we’re so powerful together.”
When Oprah asked Brooks what the most powerful part of the experience was, Brooks shared how happy she was to be in the role of Sofia once again after playing her for a year in the Broadway production: “The part of the story that I love is that no matter how many times you fall, you’re able to get back up.” Of the characters’ strong sisterhood, Brooks added, “You do need one another to know that you have everything you need inside of you.”
Fantasia, who is making her feature film debut in The Color Purple, also reflected on her experience playing the role of Celie on Broadway. “Celie’s story is very close to me,” she explained. “My life was so much like Celie’s at the time. So me stepping into her shoes and doing that—night after night after night—was heavy. When Scott [Sanders, a producer] called me back to do it, I said, ‘Oh, no, I can’t. Life has changed—I’m good, I’m happy, I’m married.’ He said, ‘Only you can do it.’ I had to pull up some things that I had walked away from. But I felt safe doing it because everybody surrounded me. It means a lot to me because I’ve come so far—I am Celie.”
After that beautiful story—which received cheers from the crowd—Fantasia said that The Color Purple is going to bring some emotions. “You’re gonna laugh, you’re gonna cry. But in the end, I feel like you will be healed, because—guess what—I was healed.”
At the end of the session, Oprah asked Brooks whether being part of The Color Purple changed her life. Brooks laughed and simply responded, “We about to find out!”
Now we’re even more excited for the release of The Color Purple. Keep up with all the news from the movie (including trailers and release date) here.
Cassie Hurwitz (she/her) is an assistant editor at Oprah Daily, where she covers everything from culture to entertainment to lifestyle. She can typically be found in the middle of multiple books and TV shows all at once. Previously, Cassie worked at Parents, Rachael Ray In Season, and Reveal. Her love language is pizza (New York slices, Chicago deep dish, and otherwise).
