The actor talks The Color Purple, the sisterhood she shares with her costars, and taking inspiration from Oprah ahead of the film musical’s L.A. premiere
In the midst of a whirlwind press tour for the highly anticipated cinematic reimagining of The Color Purple, Danielle Brooks has been leaning on those closest to her: her family.
“Even when my family isn’t with me, they’re a reminder of why I’m in whatever state or country that I’m in—I’m doing this for them,” the actor tells Harper’s Bazaar ahead of the Los Angeles premiere of the film. “Truly, that’s my foundation. They’re always gonna tell me the truth, encourage me, and pat me on the back and tell me they’re proud of me. I’m always so excited to see my husband and my daughter and be with them, and take off my heels and my Spanx, and just really get to be Dani and not Danielle Brooks.”
The latest retelling of The Color Purple is a big-screen adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical version of the story. (The musical, of course, is an adaption of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film epic, which in turn was based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning 1982 novel by Alice Walker.)
We caught Brooks during a rare calm moment, since she and the film’s other stars—including Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey, and the movie’s executive producer (and personal cheerleader) Oprah Winfrey—had to hit the ground running for global premieres, after the SAG-AFTRA strike took up much of this year.
“Because we were on strike, we had no idea that we would be here a few weeks ago,” Brooks says. “It was very hard to plan in advance for something and ask people to make things, when you don’t know if you’re even going to get to walk a carpet.”
Carpets are back, however, which meant a press-ready wardrobe was needed. For the L.A. premiere, Brooks—working with stylist Jennifer Austin—chose a gorgeous, hooded purple gown from Lebanese fashion designer Nicolas Jebran. She paired the showstopping dress with, of course, diamond earrings and glimmering rings courtesy of heritage jeweler Gismondi 1754.
“The look is just really ‘regal goddess’—that is what I am going for,” Brooks says. “I feel very sexy in this outfit while still holding a bit of class, and of course, I had to do purple. Purple, purple, purple!”
Her look for the evening was also a nod to Winfrey, who has been hitting carpets and galas all season long in purple looks, to pay homage to the upcoming production. The media mogul played Sofia in the 1985 film, the same character Brooks made her Broadway debut playing in 2015 and revisits for the new movie.
“I mean, Oprah has really been slaying the purple,” Brooks says, laughing. “We did some press with her not too long ago, and she had this silky purple number, which was pretty fabulous. She’s also has been wearing bedazzled purple sneakers, too—I’m just like, ‘Okay, girl!’ I would love to have all of her looks in an extra large.”
For Brooks, globetrotting with her castmates has only strengthened the bond they’ve formed since they started working on the film. The Color Purple is about sisterhood, after all.
“[Our bond] just keeps getting deeper and deeper,” she says. “It’s very genuine and built on our love for each other, and seeing one another grow into the women that we’re becoming. It’s been a celebration.”
She adds: “Taraji P. Henson has been doing this for a long time, and to get to see her receive her flowers that are so deserved—to see Fantasia, who’s doing her first film, but getting to see her step into this boldly, and with her head held high … I could not have wished for better counterparts on this particular journey.”
The upcoming release of The Color Purple is a full-circle moment for Brooks, who has known and learned from Sofia since portraying her on Broadway, she says. She says being able to embody a story like Sofia’s for so long now is the ultimate gift.
“[Being Sofia] taught me that all I need is inside of me. Sofia is resilient and strong, but I feel that now that has just multiplied inside of me,” Brooks says. “Now it’s more about owning it. If you really listen to your characters, they will leave you with some sort of gift. And it’s very rare that an actor gets to spend so much time with a character like I have, in two different mediums, where you get to continue to learn more.”
“I’m just very grateful to now be owning my power,” she adds. “And I thank Sofia for that.”
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