Oprah Pressured To Cast Beyonce, Rihanna In ‘The Color Purple’

The movie adaptation of The Color Purple musical, which opens in movie theaters on Christmas Day, almost had a superstar in the lead role. Oprah Winfrey (one of the film's producers along with Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones) told The Hollywood Reporter that there was pressure to cast Beyonce or Rihanna. “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,” Oprah said. “‘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.'” Halle Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, Ciara, H.E.R., and Taraji P. Henson star in the film.