Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “The Color Purple,” now in theaters.
“The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazaul and his star-studded cast met reporters ahead of the musical’s Christmas release, including Whoopi, who starred in “The View” and the 1985 film adaptation. I made a special trip to visit Goldberg. Alice Walker’s classic novel.
Nearly 40 years after Goldberg played Celie, an abused and uneducated black Southern woman, her journey to liberation remains central to Walker’s story. Bazaul and stars Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson wanted to give her flowers.
“‘The Color Purple’ is sacred ground. I can’t just go into this movie without offering anything or contributing anything,” Goldberg said of why he decided to appear in this movie. When asked, Bazaul said. “This is a great book that won a Pulitzer Prize. It’s an incredibly classic movie. And we owe it to you.” Henson led the studio audience to a standing ovation for Goldberg. .
The 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg marked Goldberg’s big screen debut, and her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Although she did not win the award, this was Goldberg’s first step towards becoming the first black woman to achieve an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony Award).
“We wouldn’t be here without you,” Brooks told Goldberg. Once everyone was seated, Mr. Goldberg was clearly moved by the praise.
But what studio audiences and viewers at home didn’t know was that not only did Goldberg inspire the makers of their latest film, The Color Purple, but she also had a cameo in the film. It was said that he was doing so.
“We had to keep her involvement a secret from the beginning. Only key staff members knew Whoopi was playing the role,” says Bazaul. variety About keeping secrets until the movie is released in theaters. “Also, we never mentioned her in any press and she remained uncredited for her role.”
The magical moment comes early in the film. Her teenage Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpathi) is pregnant with her second child by the man who is believed to be her father, and goes into labor. Her sister Nettie (Harry Bailey) runs to get the local midwife, played by Goldberg.
“You’re doing well, Celie,” Goldberg said, reassuring the young woman in labor. “I want you to press it again.”
As he places his newborn baby boy in his mother’s arms, Goldberg passes the torch to the next generation, Celie. It’s a touching and tasteful cameo that highlights why Walker’s story is timeless and deserves to be told over and over again.
This surprise appearance indicates that the 2023 film will continue the legacy of the 1985 film in yet another new way. The film was produced by Spielberg and Quincy Jones, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, and by Scott Sanders, who directed the Tony Award-winning adaptation of the Broadway musical. ing.
“I always knew I wanted a connection between the original cast of ‘The Color Purple’ and the new cast. Obviously the character was Whoopi, because she’s synonymous with the title,” Bazaul explains, adding that the script He said he had many discussions with Marcus Gardley about how best to incorporate Goldberg into the story. “We chose to become midwives because of that symbolic encounter.”
Gardley explained the symbolism in an interview. Los Angeles Times: “Not only did she encourage her during the birth, it’s as if she gave birth to the role herself and now we see her take it on. It’s one of the most beautiful scenes. That’s one. [Goldberg] Looking [Mpasi] I proudly told her, “You can do it.” ”
Writing the perfect role was only the first step. Someone needed to contact Goldberg to play the role, so Bazaul made the call.
“It was probably one of the most stressful calls I’ve ever had,” he says, recalling the fateful conversation. “She was warm from the beginning, but at the end she said, ‘Blitz, the only way you’re not going to get there is to get hit by a bus.’ I started laughing. It was a great phone call.”
As with the filming of the cameo itself, the director won’t say when or where Goldberg was shown the final cut, but given the warm reception she gave Bazawul and the crew during her appearance on “The View,” , it’s not hard to imagine that she is satisfied.
Winfrey said the cameo was both a “great Easter egg for longtime audiences and die-hard fans” and “a lovely homage to Whoopi.”she too told the Hollywood Reporter She declined to appear in a cameo in the film because she was worried that it would be a distraction if she appeared in the scene where Sophia (Danielle Brooks) and Harpo (Corey Hawkins) get married.
“And I think just Whoopi is more special,” Winfrey said.
Whoopi Goldberg in 1985’s “The Color Purple.”
©Warner Bros./Courtesy of Everett Collection
