Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé.Photo:Paras Griffin/Getty; Mason Poole
Paras Griffin/Getty; Mason Poole
Oprah Winfreyis sharing about some of the hurdles she faced during the making of the new musical adaptation ofThe Color Purple.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterpublished Tuesday, the icon, 69, opened up about how as the budget for her upcoming film increased, so did expectations.
“To be completely honest about it, if you were doing this film for $30 or $40 million, the interest in the cast would be very different,” Winfrey, who starred in the 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel and produced the new movie, told the outlet.
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“Once the film moved to $90 to $100 million, then everybody wants us to bring Beyoncé," she said.
The former television talk show host explained that while certain big names are undoubtedly talented, so are others.
“‘Can you getBeyoncéor can you getRihanna?’ So we’re sitting in a room saying, ‘Listen, we love Beyoncé. We love Rihanna, but there are other actors who can do this job,’” Winfrey said.
Beyoncé and Rihanna.Kevin Mazur/Getty; David Becker/Getty
Kevin Mazur/Getty; David Becker/Getty
TheSelmaactress admitted there were times when she and fellow producersSteven SpielbergandQuincy Jones— who both worked on the original Oscar-nominated film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel — would have to ask Warners Bros. for financial assistance to ensure that they delivered a worthy product.
“I would have to say that [Warner Bros. co-chairs] Pam [Abdy] and Mike De Luca really got it from the first time they saw the film, and understood that they heard me and heard Steven and heard the team when we said, ‘This is the reason why this has to be done,’ ” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter. “You have to give us more money to do this because this is a cultural manifesto in a way for our community, and it deserves to have the support that’s needed to make it what it needs to be.”
Blitz Bazawule, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Oprah Winfrey.Arturo Holmes/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty
Arturo Holmes/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty
Henson, 53, recognized the original film’s flaws, despite its stature. “The first movie missed culturally,” she told the outlet. “We don’t wallow in the muck. We don’t stay stuck in our traumas. We laugh, we sing, we go to church, we dance, we celebrate, we fight for joy, we find joy, we keep it. That’s all we have.”
TheEmpirealum noted that from the new film’s “first frame,” audiences will see how “different” the new film is. “The coloring is different. It’s light, it’s bright, it’s vibrant. It’s us,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter.
Halle Bailey, Louis Gossett Jr., Corey Hawkins, David Alan Grier, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, H.E.R., Ciara, Jon Batiste and Deon Cole also star in the film. It is an adaptation of the 2005 Tony-winning Broadway musical.
The Color Purplearrives in theaters on Dec. 25.
source: people.com
