In the 1985 version of The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg portrayed Cellie, a role which secured her an Oscar nom. For the 2023 remake, the crew wanted Goldberg to be a part of the production, though they didn’t know exactly how to incorporate her into the story, and they very well couldn’t just have an episode of The View playing on some TV in the background.
Originally, screenwriter Marcus Gardley considered having Goldberg star as Cellie’s mother, but that would have been “too on the nose.” Gardley told The Los Angeles Times that the role of the midwife was created specifically for Goldberg.
“Symbolically, that felt like the perfect part, because she’s the one to not only encourage her during the birth, but it’s like she herself gave birth to the role and now we see her passing it down,” Gardley said. “It’s one of the most beautiful scenes because you see [Goldberg] looking upon [Mpasi] with pride and telling her, ‘You can do it.’” Goldberg’s cameo appears towards the beginning of the film.
Director Blitz Bazawule also confirmed that Goldberg did what she does best: make people laugh at inopportune moments. “We had to stop and laugh because of everything [Goldberg] did, and you forget that she comes from stand-up [comedy],” the director explained. How could anyone possibly forget how funny Whoopi is?
The Color Purple is now in theaters.
(Via EW)