Oprah Winfrey was still in the very early stages of building her media empire when she landed her first acting role in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 classic The Color Purple.
Now nearly 40 years later, the 69-year-old media mogul – who recently opened up about the Hamas attacks – is producing the highly-anticipated musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
She opened up in a new cover story in Essence about how much she was paid for the role that earned her first Oscar nomination: $35,000.
Oprah sat down with the new musical’s stars such as Taraji P. Henson (Shug Avery), H.E.R. (Squak), Danielle Brooks (Sofia), Fantasia Barrino (Celie) and more in the wide-ranging cover story.
Winfrey admitted she, ‘wanted nothing more in my life than to be in The Color Purple,’ portraying Sofia in the film, a role now inhabited by Danielle Brooks.
First role: Oprah Winfrey was still in the very early stages of building her media empire when she landed her first acting role in Steven Spielberg ‘s 1985 classic The Color Purple
Producer: Now nearly 40 years later, the 69-year-old media mogul – who recently opened up about the Hamas attacks – is producing the highly-anticipated musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel
‘I can’t even begin to tell you what it means to me—a person who wanted nothing more in my life than to be in The Color Purple,’ Winfrey said.
‘And God taught me to surrender—that was the big lesson for me. They were only offering $35,000 to be in this film, and it is the best $35,000 I ever earned,’ she said, with the sum in 1985 dollars equating to just over $100,000 in 2023, when adjusted for inflation.
‘It changed everything and taught me so much. It is God moving through my life,’ she admitted.
‘And to have all of you beautiful Black women bearing witness to the story, as the story moves forward, means so much,’ she added.
‘I believe that what Fantasia has said is true: Everybody who comes to see our film is going to be touched. They will be moved. And they will be healed. So thank you for the blessing,’ Oprah told the cast.
Alice Walker’s original novel follows Celie, a Southern woman struggling to find her way through life in the early 1900s after decades of abuse.
Walker became the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize, and she also won the National Book Award as well.
While the story is still immensely popular, it’s also frequently targeted by censors, with the American Library Association listing it on the 100 most challenged books between 2010 and 2019.
Nothing more: ‘I can’t even begin to tell you what it means to me—a person who wanted nothing more in my life than to be in The Color Purple,’ Winfrey said
Surrender: ‘And God taught me to surrender—that was the big lesson for me. They were only offering $35,000 to be in this film, and it is the best $35,000 I ever earned,’ she said, with the sum in 1985 dollars equating to just over $100,000 in 2023, when adjusted for inflation
Taught so much: ‘It changed everything and taught me so much. It is God moving through my life,’ she admitted
Original: Alice Walker’s original novel follows Celie, a Southern woman struggling to find her way through life in the early 1900s after decades of abuse
The book was then adapted for a Broadway stage musical, which debuted in 2005 and earned 11 Tony Awards nominations.
Fantasia Barrino replaced LaChanze as Celie on Broadway in 2007, with the musical getting a critically-acclaimed revival in 2015, starring Cynthia Erivo as Celie, Jennifer Hudson as Shug and Danielle Brooks as Sofia, returning to play the role in the film.
The musical film adaptation also stars Halle Bailey as Nettie, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Mama, Colman Domingo as Mister, Corey Hawkins as Harpo and Louis Gossett Jr. as Old Mister.
The film is currently slated for release on Christmas Day, though, like many other productions, it may be shifted if th SAG-AFTRA strike continues.
