It was almost preordained that the Q&A that followed The Hollywood Reporter’s special screening of The Color Purple would be a joyous affair — the camaraderie between stars Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks and the film’s producer, Oprah Winfrey, has been on display this entire press run.
But the THR Presents special event, introduced by director Blitz Bazawule, was even more celebratory because it came on the day that both Barrino and Brooks received Golden Globe nominations for their roles as Celie and Sofia, respectively, for the film.
At one point, when Henson clasped the hands of an emotional Barrino and the two exchanged heartfelt words onstage, Brooks chimed in for the audience (which included Zazie Beetz and Lorraine Toussaint): “This is all we’ve been doin’, y’all,”
“Every time,” Winfrey added. “It turns into a church service!”
Winfrey was especially moved even before the screening began, inspired as she saw the words emblazoned on THR‘s cover story on the movie: “The Divine Sisterhood of the Color Purple.”
That sisterhood was on display during the Q&A. Check out the video of the special talk, which was sponsored by Warner Bros.
