Why Oprah Didn't Make a Cameo in THE COLOR PURPLE Movie Musical

Oprah Winfrey is opening up about the surprise cameo in The Color Purple and why she didn't make one herself.

The original "Sofia" told The Hollywood Reporter that she considered making a cameo in the film, but COVID restraints stopped her from spending more time on set.

"It would’ve been good in the church scene, 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, and then 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 says.

While audiences won't see Oprah in the new film, they can expect to see another cast member from the 1985 film adaptation.

Whoopi Goldberg, who played Celie in Spielberg's screen adaptation, plays a midwife who helps young Celie bring her second baby into the world.

“[We] just thought it was a wonderful Easter egg for audiences who have appreciated the film over the years, for the diehards,” she shared. “And we also thought it was a lovely homage to Whoopi.”

While comparing her potential appearance to Goldberg's, the media mogul thinks that "it’s more special that it’s just Whoopi" in the film.

The Color Purple stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Gabriella Wilson “H.E.R.”, Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Fantasia Barrino as Celie in her feature film debut, reprising the role she played on Broadway in 2007. The film also stars Louis Gossett, Jr., Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Ciara, Deon Cole, and Jon Batiste. 

Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau