In time for the holiday season, the big-screen adaptation of the musical based on Alice Walker’s famed novel of the same name is finally upon us. With a star-studded cast, this new reimagining of The Color Purple is sure to fill theatre seats and make audience’s hearts soar.
During the press junket tour, I had the opportunity to sit down with the three leading ladies to chat about the film’s themes, what it was like for Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks to step back into their characters Celie and Sofia, respectively, and how Taraji P. Henson felt putting her vocal cords to work as Shug Avery.
In a short amount of time, the trio had a lot to say about the film, their performances, and what words came to mind to describe this bold reimagining of The Color Purple.
With so many important themes throughout The Color Purple, including perseverance, forgiveness and finding yourself. I had to know if there was anything the cast learned about themselves during the production of this film as they played these characters.
Barrino was quick to answer with, “For me, it was healing. I was able to heal through playing Celie this time. So that’s what it was for me.”
For Henson, she was able to believe in herself and she shared, “For me, it was believing in myself because singing isn’t something I don’t do often. I can do it, but I didn’t think I could pull this off. And so, the fact that I did!”
For Brooks, she found she was able to own her power by portraying Sofia. Brooks said, “And for me, it would be owning my power; and I learned that through Sofia.”
In addition to learning through their characters during the production of the film, the actresses also spoke about revisiting their characters. For Barrino and Brooks, this wasn’t their first time stepping into the shoes of their on-screen counterparts. So, I was interested in what it was like for them to get back into their respective character’s spaces and asked them about revisiting Celie and Sofia.
Brooks was excited about the prospect of portraying Sofia for the musical film and she said, “So much fun; it was all I wanted in life! It never really happens for a person to jump from theatre to film , so I was just in heaven when I was able to do both.”
For Barrino, it was the prospect of Celie growing and having an imagination this time around that made all the difference. Barrino told me, “I think watching Celie grow, and they gave Celie an imagination this time. So watching her grow into a beautiful grown woman – that was special to me.”
Henson loved stepping into the role of Shug Avery, including the costumes and set pieces. Henson told me, “I just felt so glamourous! I’m kind of like a klutz, you know? She’s so graceful and everything is above the waist for her. I got to dwell in elegance, you know? Because women back then, they were sexy without showing any skin ’cause it came from the inside-out. So that was fun.”
The Color Purplereleases in theatres on Christmas Day!
