There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the “revival” of “The Color Purple” set to hit theaters on Christmas Day, but R&B singer H.E.R. said it won’t be what some people might expect.
The 26-year-old artist and musician elaborated on the highly anticipated film in which she’ll make her big-screen debut during an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” on Wednesday, July 12.
While some have voiced concerns about whether the remake would live up to the original film adaptation, H.E.R made it clear the two shouldn’t be compared.
“It’s not necessarily just another rendition, it’s a celebration of the story,” she said after ET’s Nischelle Turner asked her what to expect from the film. “This is not your mother’s ‘Color Purple,’ like this a new one, you know? And it’s amazing.”
H.E.R. isn’t the only one to share that sentiment. Taraji P. Henson, who stars as Shug Avery in the film, used nearly the exact same words in a video that elaborates on Oprah Winfrey’s TikTok debut of the trailer that included the cast’s reaction to it.
The upcoming version is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, which ran from 2005 to 2008 and 2015 through 2017, respectively. The original film, released in 1985, was an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name released in 1982.
Winfrey, who’s portrayal of Sophia in the original film helped propel her to stardom, is serving as one of the upcoming film’s producers, alongside Quincy Jones and Steven Spielberg. H.E.R. said she learned a lot from the entertainment mogul and her more experienced co-stars.
“I learned so much. You know, Taraji [P. Henson] is amazing, Fantasia [Barino], Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks and Oprah was there and I was fangirling over Oprah!” she confessed with a smile. “The whole experience was insane. I can’t wait for people to experience it.”
The “Focus On Me” artist added that Oprah was unguarded with them, sharing wisdom and nuggets from her journey to success.
“It’s so amazing because she was so vulnerable with us and she didn’t even talk about necessarily her successes, but she taught us about the beginning and what she might have felt, not necessarily failures but just the beginning, you know, when you’re not Oprah yet,” she explained.
“That was really special for her to share and to see her progress now, and it’s important to see people’s journeys,” H.E.R. continued. “It’s important to see and understand that things just don’t happen, you gotta work hard for it. So, she gave us that advice and told us those stories and they were very inspiring.”
In addition to the co-stars H.E.R. named, the film will star Louis Gossett Jr., Ciara, David Alan Grier, Tamela Mann, Deon Cole, Phylicia Mpasi, Colman Domingo and Stephen Hill.
