Oprah Winfrey Reveals 2 Musical Superstars She Was Pressured to Cast in 'The Color Purple'

Oprah Winfrey opened up about pressures she faced when making casting decisions for The Color Purple.

The 69-year-old global phenom starred in the first big-screen adaptation of the movie in the early days of her career and returned as a producer for the 2023 version, which stars Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino and Tarija P. Henson.

During a recent interview, Oprah opened up about some of the casting decisions. More specifically, she recalled being pressured to try and recruit two musical superstars to the cast to try and ensure a hit.

Read more about the stars Oprah Winfrey was pushed to contact for The Color Purple…

“To be completely honest about it, if you were doing this film for $30 or $40 million, the interest in the cast would be very different. Once the film moved to $90 to $100 million, then everybody wants us to bring Beyoncé,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

She continued, adding, “‘Can you get Beyoncé or can you get Rihanna?’ So we’re sitting in a room saying, ‘Listen, we love Beyoncé. We love Rihanna, but there are other actors who can do this job.’”

“I do remember conversations about, ‘Y’all, Beyoncé is going to be busy this year.’ It wasn’t even a negotiation, because you’re not getting Beyoncé,” she continued.

Oprah has opened up quite a bit recently, even commenting on her weight loss and naming her three close friends.