Danielle Brooks is the latest ‘Color Purple’ star to share about her less-than-ideal working conditions while making the musical.
During a Q&A session with the Hollywood Reporter’s Nekesa Mumbi Moody on Jan. 5., Brooks thanked her co-star Taraji P. Henson and the film’s producer Oprah for being a “voice box” when the cast encountered issues on set.
“I remember when we first came in, and we were doing rehearsal, and they put us all in the same space. Like, we didn’t have our own dressing rooms at the time,” Brooks, 34, said before she turned to Oprah and quipped, “Sorry, Ms. O, but we didn’t have no food…and you corrected it for us.”
Henson told the audience that she called Oprah right away to “fix” the issue when she discovered the error — and Brooks appreciated the sentiment.
“I’ve done a lot of TV. I’ve done a lot of films, specifically independent films, but this is my first studio film,” Brooks said. “So, sometimes you do come in just saying okay, well, I’m gonna just take whatever they give me. I’m just happy to be here. You know, but you spoke up for us, and you showed me how to do that. But what I really enjoy is your sisterhood is authentic. And it’s real,” she added.
Brooks’ revelation comes just a few days after co-star Taraji P. Henson criticized the film’s producers for having the actors drive themselves to the set in rental cars.
“They gave us rental cars, and I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous. Now they robbing people. What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car?” Henson said. “So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon. They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody.’ Well, do it for everybody! It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for. I was on the set of ‘Empire’ fighting for trailers that wasn’t infested with bugs.”