*Taraji P. Henson is speaking out about the alleged chaos surrounding “The Color Purple” production and promotion.
Henson wants fans and movie lovers to embrace the film and not focus on the reported behind-the-scenes drama involving Oprah Winfrey.
“I hope they can focus back onto this film, because right now, to me, it feels like what I said is now becoming louder than this beautiful film,” Henson said in a statement to TODAY.com.
“And that’s not fair to me, or anybody in the film,” Henson continued, adding, “because the film deals with women who are oppressed — who live in an oppressed system. Men and women. And all the characters in that film except for the white people. So that movie is about healing. That movie is about sisterhood.”
We reported earlier that executives at Warner Bros. allegedly blame Henson and Oprah Winfrey, who serves as an executive producer on “The Color Purple,” for the film’s box office failure.
“… what you’re not gonna do is pit two Black women together — not on my watch,” said Henson about the rumored tension between her and Oprah.
Per Media Take Out, one studio insider explained, “Executives blame Taraji Henson for derailing the promotional efforts of the film and using it as a selfish opportunity to change her personal narrative as an ‘aging and underpaid’ actress.”
During “The Color Purple” promotional tour, Taraji spoke about being underpaid as a Black actress and claimed she and her co-stars were mistreated on the set. Speaking to The New York Times, Henson said the cast got “a lot of stuff on that set” because she fought for it — including transportation to the set, proper food, and sufficient trailers.
The studio executive told Media Take Out, “Oprah should have taken Taraji to the side when she noticed she was taking the promotional efforts in a ‘negative space.’”
Meanwhile, Henson called Winfrey a “steady and solid beacon of light” in an Instagram post last month.
“Ms. OPRAH has been nothing less than a steady and solid beacon of light to ALL OF THE CAST of The Color Purple!!!” Henson captioned the post, Complex reports. “She has provided ENCOURAGEMENT, GUIDANCE and UNWAVERING SUPPORT to us all.”
READ MORE: Studio Blames Oprah and Taraji P. Henson for ‘The Color Purple’ Flop
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