Why Oprah Declined Cameo In ‘The Color Purple’: ‘I Just Think It’s More Special That It’s Just Whoopi’

December 30, 2023
Oprah Winfrey said she thought about having a cameo in the new film, but decided it would be distracting to Sofia’s character.
Media icon Oprah Winfrey recently explained her decision not to cameo alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the latest adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel, “The Color Purple.” While Goldberg, 68, who was the original Celie makes a cameo, 69-year-old Winfrey, who portrayed Sofia in the first film, chose to pass on an on-screen appearance.
A cameo “would’ve been good in the church scene, but I thought it would also be distracting when Sofia is getting married…” Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter. “Also, I just think it’s more special that it’s just Whoopi.” With COVID spreading at the time of filming, she added “…I ain’t sitting in that church all day anyway.”
Winfrey felt that keeping the focus on Goldberg’s cameo as a midwife was “more special” and allowed the scene to highlight Celie’s journey.
Though absent from the film, the media icon has prominently championed its release as a producer. She recently told People, “It’s as big a miracle as my whole life has been…” Referring to the original 1985 movie that earned her an Oscar nod, she added it “…continues to be a central theme in my life.” When Winfrey first took on the career-defining role of Sofia, she had over a decade’s experience in TV news but no connections in Hollywood. “I didn’t know one single soul in the business,” she shared. “The Color Purple” marked her acting debut and first-ever experience on a movie set.
Now, nearly four decades later, the project remains deeply personal to Winfrey, and she still pays reverent homage to Steven Spielberg’s adaptation. She has supported the new generation of cats members throughout the entire process of the production. BLACK ENTERPRISE previously covered the day she gifted the film’s cast members with purple Telfar bags filled with Fandango movie tickets. The actress shared the surprise in a Dec. 1 Instagram post. The Telfar brand appeared on Oprah’s Favorite Things list, which was released in November.
Winfrey starred in Spielberg’s 1985 film and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
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