The Color Purple star Oprah Winfrey has admitted featuring in the musical remake would have been "distracting".
The talk show host is a producer on the new movie alongside Steven Spielberg, who directed the original 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker's 1982 novel.
The remake, helmed by Blitz Bazawule and based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical, retells the story of Celie Harris-Johnson, a Black woman living in the American south in the early 1900s.
Related: Mean Girls producer explains why new movie is not a remake
Winfrey, who portrayed Sofia in Spielberg's adaption, briefly considered appearing in a cameo but ultimately decided against it.
"It would've been good in the church scene," Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter, "but I thought it would also be distracting when Sofia is getting married that if the old original Sofia was just one of the people in the church."
What to Read Next
Winfrey explained other reasons prompted her to take a backseat and not appear in the film.
"They were shooting that in the middle of Georgia when COVID was [spreading]. Like, 'OK, well I ain't sitting in that church all day anyway,'" she said.
Related: Bill Skarsgård's classic horror remake Nosferatu lands Christmas 2024 release date
Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg, who played Celie in the 1985 film adaption, feature in a small role in the musical alongside Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as young Celie. The View host briefly appears as a midwife helping Celie giving birth, turning the scene in a sweet moment in which Goldberg symbolically passes down the role.
"[We] just thought it was a wonderful Easter egg for audiences who have appreciated the film over the years, for the diehards," Winfrey said of Goldberg's cameo.
"And we also thought it was a lovely homage to Whoopi."
The Color Purple movie musical premiered in US cinemas on December 25 and opens in the UK and Ireland on January 26, 2024.
You Might Like...
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
