Over the past few weeks, The Color Purple’s press run has been riddled with controversy surrounding the working conditions of its production. Based on Alice Walker’s novel of the same name and its subsequent stage musical adaptation, the Blitz Bazawule–directed film has been lauded by critics and audiences alike, exceeding expectations on its opening day and grossing $18.2 million at the box office—making it the second-highest domestic opening for a film on Christmas Day of all time.
Yet despite its many wins, the film’s more positive reception can’t escape the controversy that’s come hand in hand with it. Since its press run that began in December 2023, a slew of its start-studded ensemble have been vocal about the basic necessities they had to fight to have on set. Notably, two of the film’s leads, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks, have been particularly vocal about pay disparity in Hollywood and having to ask for what’s typically guaranteed on set including separate dressing rooms, food, and even transportation.
The Color Purple’s working conditions have arguably been a focal point, if not the focal point, of its press tour, exacerbated by the fact that the film was not only co-produced by Oprah Winfrey but had a $100 million budget. The blindspots that arise from these two factors have led many to question where exactly the film’s budget went and how its producers, particularly Winfrey, who starred in the film’s 1985 adaptation, didn’t preemptively take time to ensure that its cast were being met with the needs they should’ve been afforded in the first place without question. While Henson has notably taken this time to shed light on racial inequity in Hollywood, using herself as an example of the industry’s dismissal of Black women regardless of how many accolades precede them, the public has saturated the cast’s claims with rumors of feuds—particularly between Henson and Winfrey—which all parties have repeatedly debunked.
Here’s a breakdown of what exactly has been said by the cast during The Color Purple’s press run, Winfrey’s response, and the larger conversation it ignites on Hollywood’s continued failure of Black talent.
Taraji P. Henson Opens Up About Almost Quitting Acting
Date: December 19, 2023
In an interview with Gayle King on SiriusXM, Henson emotionally opened up about the pay disparity she’s experienced in Hollywood, and the lack of respect that almost made her quit her career. Through tears Henson explained, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious about what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost. I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired.”
Henson continued, “I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to—the math ain’t mathing.” She then went on to explain how an actor’s salary is typically broken down. “When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone…there’s a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid. So when you hear, ‘Oh, such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account,” Taraji began. “Know that off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50 percent. Do the math—now we have $5 million. Your team is getting 30 percent, or whatever your team is getting, off of what you grossed, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math… I’m only human.”
Henson continued to explain how, despite being an Oscar-nominated actress and a Golden Globe–winning actress—prestigious accolades that would arguably set any white counterpart for life—she still finds herself at ground zero in the face of the industry. “It seems every time I do something and I break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m just tired. I’m tired. It wears on you, you know? Because what does that mean? What is that telling me?”
Danielle Brooks, seated beside Henson, chimed in here and said, “What does it tell me?” To which Henson tearfully said, “If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me, then what the fuck am I doing?” Taraji’s words quickly went viral with other Black actresses pouring their words of support and agreement.
Henson Talks About Almost Ditching The Color Purple
Date: December 19, 2023
Taraji’s interview with SAG-AFTRA further shed light on the actress’s inspiring, yet obstacle-filled, trajectory in Hollywood. The star opened up about almost passing on The Color Purple because of low pay, explaining that she hadn’t received a compensation increase since her 2018 film Proud Mary.
Henson also opened up about previously firing her entire team after they failed to capitalize on her success after playing Cookie Lyon in the hit series Empire. “Where’s my commercial? Cookie was at the top of the fashion game. Where is my endorsement? What did you have set up for after this?” Taraji began. “That’s why y’all haven’t seen me in so long. They had nothing set up… Everybody had to fucking go.” Taraji’s raw recount of her career echoed across the Internet with an outpour of support flooding in for the actress’s candid conversation on racial inequity. It also opened a floodgate of speculation on what went on behind the scenes of The Color Purple, with many pointing to Winfrey as a potential outlier in Taraji’s comments about pay disparity.
Rumors Begin Swirling About a Disagreement Between Henson and Winfrey
Date: December 21, 2023
Amidst Taraji’s comments on her treatment in Hollywood and almost passing up The Color Purple, many eyes pointed to Oprah Winfrey’s role as a producer in the film with speculation brewing on her involvement with Taraji’s pay. While there was no tangible evidence of anything of that sort, all the Internet needed was a video of Henson and Winfrey looking awkward at a press event at the Empire State Building to fuel rumors of a feud. Users nitpicked the video, analyzing the duo’s body language to inform guesses on their relationship behind the scenes.
Taraji swiftly shut any discourse down, posting a picture of her and Oprah from that same press event on her Instagram with the caption, “It is so important for black women and ALL women of color to support each other. It is also imperative to have women of color in decision making positions across ALL industries. Thank you for responding to my message with the compassion, understanding and support that I’ve received.”
“With that being said…Ms. OPRAH has been nothing less than a steady and solid beacon of light to ALL OF THE CAST of the Color Purple!!! She has provided ENCOURAGEMENT, GUIDANCE and UNWAVERING SUPPORT to us all. She told me personally to reach out to her for ANYTHING I needed, and I did! It took ONE CALL…ONE CONVERSATION…and ONE DECISION MAKING BLACK WOMAN to make me feel heard.”
On Dec. 22, Oprah also posted a picture of herself and Taraji on Instagram, describing Henson as a “force” and “complete revelation.” She ended her caption with, “Taraji, the stage is now yours and I already see the standing ovations for you. I’m fiercely welcoming Taraji to the Purple sisterhood and I cannot wait for you to meet her version of Shug.”
Taraji Reveals She Had to Fight for Security or a Driver to Take Her to Set
Date: January 5, 2024
As part of a profile with The New York Times, Taraji further opened up about the details surrounding the working conditions of the set of The Color Purple, and the extent of what exactly she had to fight for. The actress revealed that the cast were offered rental cars to drive themselves to work, an anomaly in a high-budget production where cast members are typically driven to set and back. “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,” Henson began. “Now they robbing people. What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car?” Taraji went on to share that she had to ask to get a driver or security member to take herself, and the rest of the cast, to set.
“I’m not asking for the moon,” she said. “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.”
Danielle Brooks Reveals More Bizarre Working Conditions
Date: January 6, 2024
In part of a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter for a Q&A panel, Danielle Brooks had more to say about the cast’s work environment and Taraji’s role in ensuring they got basic necessities like food. Brooks also revealed that Oprah had to repeatedly step in to make sure the cast’s needs were met.
“I remember when we first came and we’re doing rehearsals, they put us all in the same space,” Brooks said. “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.”
While it’s commendable that Oprah resolved many of these issues, it’s absolutely bonkers that the cast, namely Taraji, had to call a producer and ask for what anyone would consider a basic amenity (like food). Brooks’ revelations further fueled online discourse surrounding The Color Purple, with many being absolutely shocked that the cast had to go to such lengths. If anything, their treatment is an indication of where Black talent is still at in the fight for equity in Hollywood, something that seems to not sway regardless of budget or cast roster.
The Majority of the Cast Surprisingly Don’t Attend the Golden Globes
Date: January 7, 2024
While the 81st Golden Globes was a star-studded affair, the majority of The Color Purple’s cast, including Taraji, were nowhere in sight. Of its ensemble, actors Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino were in attendance for their respective nominations in the Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor in a Musical or Comedy categories. Colman Domingo was also present, but for a nomination for his role in Rustin. And Oprah was also there, repping as the film’s producer.
Besides that, no other cast member was in attendance. While the reasoning behind that is largely due to the film not being nominated in any motion picture category, meaning that only those with individual nominations would be invited due to limited seating, it still was strange considering how stacked the tables were for other films (like Barbie). Egging the question marks around it all, actress Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, who plays a young Celie in the film, posted a tongue-in-cheek TikTok of her “getting ready” before the Golden Globes before dropping the bomb that she wasn’t invited. It’s still unclear why Taraji wasn’t in attendance, despite arguably being the biggest name of the cast.
Oprah Denies Rumors of a Feud
Date: January 7, 2024
During the Globes’ red carpet, Oprah spoke to Entertainment Tonight and cleared the air regarding any feud between her and Taraji. “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 Brothers you know that’s the way the studio system works,” she said.
“We as producers, everybody gets their salary, everybody is negotiated by your team. And so, whenever I heard there was an issue or 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.”
Oprah went on to address the video of herself and Taraji atop the Empire State Building that went viral a few weeks back, saying, “There was something online about us being separated at the top of the Empire State Building. On that particular day, we were so cold so I don’t know what kind of body language people were talking about. I was literally just trying to stay warm and that was the fourth thing we had done. There’s no validity to there being a thing between Taraji and I.”
While a “feud” between Henson and Winfrey seems to be nothing but Internet chatter, the more pressing issue of racial mistreatment remains. Warner Brothers has yet to comment on any of the claims made by the actors.
