Taraji P. Henson says it’s ‘not fair’ the narrative has turned away from ‘The Color Purple’
Taraji P. Henson is ready for the narrative surrounding “The Color Purple” to change.
Recently, her comments about her experience with pay disparity in Hollywood — and the revelation that she nearly turned down the Broadway musical adaptation because she felt lowballed — went viral. Now, Henson is asking that the attention return to the film that was released last Christmas.
“I hope they can focus back onto this film, because right now, to me, it feels like what I said is now becoming louder than this beautiful film,” Henson tells TODAY.com, while promoting her Always Discreet brand partnership.
“And that’s not fair to me, or anybody in the film,” Henson continues, “because the film deals with women who are oppressed — who live in an oppressed system. Men and women. And all the characters in that film except for the white people. So that movie is about healing. That movie is about sisterhood.”
In the Blitz Bazawule-directed adaptation based on Alice Walker’s classic novel, Henson stars as Shug Avery, a charismatic blues singer. Shug ends up saving the film’s central character, Celie (Fantasia Barrino) from future abuse by her husband Mister (Colman Domingo) — while also introducing her to the thralls of romantic love.
While the film centers on Celie’s journey of self-discovery, it also highlights the bond between women as they deal with their own struggles and trauma.
In a Jan. 4 interview with W magazine, Henson said one of the most striking things in “The Color Purple” was the “angle of sisterhood.”
“Because if women stick together, we can change the world,” she said.
Henson has also been very vocal about the sisterhood felt between actors during filming, telling the New York Times in a Jan. 5 interview that she and Barrino supported each other on set.
“I’m very confident in my acting because I do the work, but I was nervous about my singing. Fantasia’s nervous about acting because singing is her thing, so we held each other’s hand and lifted each other up,” she said.
"The Color Purple"has received much critical acclaim and praise and garnered multiple award nominations, including Golden Globe nods for Barrino and Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia. But much of the conversation about the film has also been about Henson’s viral pay disparity comments and the rumors of a rift between her and one of the film’s executive producers, Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey earned an Oscar nomination for her debut acting role in Steven Spielberg's 1985 "Color Purple" adaptation.
Winfrey attempted to diffuse some of the online chatter in a Dec. 22 Instagram appreciation post, which featured photos of her with Henson. In her caption, which the media mogul shared a day after Henson posted about her and called her “a steady and solid beacon of light” for the cast, Winfrey wrote that she “long admired Taraji” and had “fiercely” welcomed her to the “Purple sisterhood.” “Taraji, the stage is now yours and I already see the standing ovations for you,” she said.
But on Jan. 7, after the negative commentary had seemingly reached a tilt, Oprah felt the need to set the record straight about her and Henson’s relationship while on the Golden Globes’ red carpet.
“I heard I was trending yesterday because people are saying that I was not supporting Taraji,” Winfrey told ET. “Taraji will tell you herself that I have been the greatest champion of this film, championing not only the behind-the-scenes production but also everything that everybody needed.”
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