Oprah Reveals New Confirmed Cast for Upcoming Musical Adaptation of The Color Purple
Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation of The Color Purple has a star-studded cast. After the previous casting of Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., and Taraji P. Henson, Oprah has confirmed Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Colman Domingo, and Fantasia Taylor.
Blitz Bazawule’s The Color Purple is already a force to be reckoned with. After casting Harpo, Squeak, and Shug Avery, the film has now found its Sofia, Nettie, Mister, and Celie. Orange Is the New Black actress Danielle Brooks is cast as Sofia, a role that Oprah Winfrey played in the 1985 Steven Spielberg adaptation. Winfrey’s powerful portrayal of Sofia earned her an Oscar nomination.
Brooks took to Instagram to share an emotional video where Oprah tells her the exciting news. The video shows the former talk show host donning an all-purple ensemble amidst a purple background. She tells Brooks that she is “excited to pass the baton on to Brooks.” The actress is humbled and writes that she “can’t wait to share Sofia with this next generation!”
The Little Mermaid actress Halle Bailey is playing Nettie, the younger sister of Celie. Winfrey, who is a producer in the adaptation, spoke to Vanity Fair about casting Bailey. She recalls Bailey being “somebody whose presence you can feel in her absence…the strength of her comes through.” The singer and actress took to Instagram to write that she is “oh so grateful to be a part of this historic film as Nettie.”
Additionally, Euphoria actor, Colman Domingo, joins the cast as Mister. Oprah told Vanity Fair she chose Colman “for many reasons, but also because of his prolific ability to embody any character. There’s a presence that he carries that reminded me so much of young Mister.” In a poignant Instagram post Colman writes, “I am ready for this journey to undo me. Make me learn about love again…hope…forgiveness…about how our people have triumphed over unspeakable horrors. Mister is the trauma and the hurt. He is the broken clock waiting to be turned.”
Lastly, previous The Color Purple Broadway star, Fantasia Taylor, is reviving her role as Celie. She writes on Instagram about the similarities she found when first playing Celie to her own life in 2007. The singer is grateful to play this role again, fifteen years later. She elaborates in her post, “I hope that every little black girl who is fighting to be heard and recognized also promises to never give up in spite of the costs.” Fantasia will undoubtedly bring a rawness and vulnerability that is so needed to portray such an important character in American literature.
Congratulations to Blitz Bazawule on an incredible cast. We could not be more excited to see how this film looks once it hits the big screen. Fans can purchase Alice Walker’s epistolary novel, The Color Purple, at select bookstores.
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