Oprah Winfrey Responds to Criticisms of The Color Purple Working Conditions

Summary

• Oprah Winfrey denies claims of a feud with Taraji P. Henson and asserts that she championed the film’s production needs.
• Winfrey took action to address issues like rental cars and food for the cast and crew of The Color Purple.
• The Color Purple stars Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks both raised concerns about poor on-set conditions.

Oprah Winfrey has responded directly to the recent allegations made by star Taraji P. Henson regarding the poor on-set conditions she experienced while filming this year’s musical, The Color Purple. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Winfrey pushed back against claims that a feud had developed between herself and Henson, saying she fought hard for “everything that everybody needed.”

“People are saying that I was not supporting Taraji. Taraji will tell you herself that I’ve been the greatest champion of this film. Championing not only the behind the scenes projection but also everything that everybody needed. So whenever I heard that there was something that someone needed … I’m not in charge of the budget because that’s Warner Bros. That’s the way the studio system works.”

Winfrey, who starred in the 1985 version of The Color Purple and produced the 2023 remake, is adamant that she made sure to tackle any issues that arose during production. She addressed Henson’s issue with rental cars and food, with the hugely influential talkshow host and actor stating she did whatever she could “to make it right.”

“We as producers, everybody gets their salary and everybody is negotiated by your team. And so, whenever I heard there was an issue or there was a problem, there was a problem with cars or the problem with their food, I would step in and do whatever I could to make it right. And I believe that [Taraji] would even vouch for that and say that is true.”

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Taraji P. Henson Has Spoken Out Against the Working Conditions on The Color Purple

The Color Purple

Release Date December 25, 2023

Director Blitz Bazawule

Writers Marcus Gardley , Alice Walker , Marsha Norman

Taraji P. Henson, who stars in The Color Purple as Shug Avery alongside Fantasia Barrino as Celie Harris-Johnson, discussed the problems she found making the movie when speaking with The New York Times earlier this month. She began by revealing how they were given rental cars to drive to set, something she described as an “insurance liability.”

“They gave us rental cars, and I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous. Now they robbing people. What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car?”

Henson went on to reveal how she fought for better working conditions for everyone, with the Empire star taking these issues to those in charge.

“So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon. They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody.’ Well, do it for everybody! It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for. I was on the set of ‘Empire’ fighting for trailers that wasn’t infested with bugs.”

Henson is not the only one to highlight apparent issues during the filming of The Color Purple, with star Danielle Brooks expressing similar concerns.

“I remember when we first came and we’re doing rehearsals, they put us all in the same space. We didn’t have our own dressing rooms at the time. We didn’t have our own food…[Oprah] corrected it for us. [Taraji] was our voice. This was my first studio film. Sometimes you do come in saying, ‘OK, I’ll take whatever they give me. I’m just happy to be here.’ But [Taraji] spoke up for us. You showed me how to do that.”

The Color Purple was released in theaters on December 25, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Check out the trailer below:

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