Taraji P. Henson says fans will see 'The Color Purple' from the Black perspective for the first time in the upcoming musical remake

• Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" is being remade as a film musical.
• Taraji P. Henson said executive producer Steven Spielberg, who directed the original film adaptation, understood the need for a different point of view.

Over the weekend, at CultureCon 2022, actress Taraji P. Henson spoke about why the upcoming musical film remake of "The Color Purple" will be unlike anything audiences have experienced before.

"I think you guys are going to be experiencing 'The Color Purple' for the first time from a Black perspective," Henson told host Blake Newby and a crowd of 3,500 attendees at the creative conference.

Based on the Alice Walker novel, "The Color Purple" focuses on the struggles of Black women living in the South in the early 1900s. It was originally made into a movie in 1985 and was later adapted into a Broadway play in 2005.

Henson is playing singer Shug Avery in the upcoming musical remake. She clarified that she meant no disrespect to Steven Spielberg, who directed the original movie and will serve as an executive producer on the remake.

"No dig to one of our producers, Steven Spielberg, but he even understood the importance of a Black person telling this story," she continued.

Filmmaker and musician Blitz Bazawule is directing the remake. Danielle Brooks will play Sofia, Halle Bailey will play Nettie, and Fantasia Barrino will play Celie.

Henson also said that fans of the original movie will see changes made to the story's framing. "You will see the differences right away," she said.

She encouraged attendees to use their voices to tell similar stories.

"That's why it's important for all you filmmakers and writers and up-and-coming producers and directors, we must tell our stories, it's so important," she said to the crowd at the Brooklyn's Navy Yard.

"The Color Purple" tells often dark storylines, including stories of domestic violence, sexual abuse, racist violence, and financial abuse, but Henson says there is a new level of joy in its most recent retelling.

"Black people, y'all know we know how to find joy in a situation, right? We can turn our pain into joy. And that's what makes us so incredible," Henson continued.

"So that's what I love about this particular film because this doesn't harp on the trauma."