Danielle Brooks wants Oprah Winfrey to feel “proud” of The Color Purple.
The actor stars in the new period drama film, and Brooks is particularly determined to impress Winfrey — who appeared in the 1985 version of the movie — and Steven Spielberg, who directed it.
“There are moments of wanting to make them proud. But just as the scene where Whoopi [Goldberg] is the midwife to Celie’s baby, I think that’s the image that is representative of what they have done, and are doing, for us,” Brooks explained to the BBC.
The “Orange is the New Black” star wants to build on the legacy of the original film, which critics widely praised following its release.
“We’re not coming here to change the blueprint, we want to stick to that, but we’re both adding a little something from our lives to it,” Brooks said.
The new film is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The novel explores issues such as abuse and racism, but Brooks has insisted that the new movie is a positive project.
“There is beauty to be seen in our pain,” Brooks explained.
“Yes, we don’t want to go through it, but we went through it — and there are people who are going to be healed from seeing these stories. That’s where the joy lies. That’s where the freedom lies,” she added.
Fantasia Barrino, who stars as Celie in the film, also explained that she and her co-stars were all determined to be a part of the new film.
“All of us wanted to be part of such an honest story,” she said.
