After Fantasia Barrino starred as Celie in the Broadway production of The Color Purple 15 years ago, the American Idol champ faced foreclosure and a subsequent suicide attempt — now, she’s facing Oscar buzz for her big-screen debut.
Fantasia Barrino is humble in the face of critical accolades for her return to a character she portrayed 15 years ago on Broadway. The Color Purple star says she’s grateful to be back in this role after “losing everything twice.”
From 2007 to 2008, the American Idol winner played the role of Celie in the Broadway adaptation of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel — it was a role previously made famous as Whoopi Goldberg’s film debut in the 1985 film.
Getty
Halle Bailey Hits Back at Comment Saying She Has ‘Pregnancy Nose’: ‘Leave Me the Hell Alone’
View Story
Goldberg’s portrayal scored her an Oscar nomination, one of 11 for the film, including one for Oprah Winfrey’s debut as Sofia. Now, it’s Barrino hearing Oscar buzz for her own film debut.
“For me, losing everything twice, having to fight to get back here, it feels good,” Barrino told E! News in an interview published Wednesday. “That’s why I’m going to enjoy it because my story has always been out there. I’ve never been afraid to share it.”
“I feel that when you go through tests, that’s your testimony,” she continued. “How else do you help somebody else?”
Part of those tests for Barrino included one of her homes facing foreclosure in 2008, followed by a relationship scandal and accusations she had cheated with a married man. In 2010, she attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on aspirin and a sleep aid. Just two weeks later, she talked about that experience on Good Morning America, per ABC News.
Getty
Whoopi Goldberg Says She Didn’t Dress Up for Years After 1993 Oscars Look Backlash: ‘It Hurt My Feelings’
View Story
“I think I was just overloaded with everything, with carrying six years of so much,” said Barrino, who had seen her life change in 2004 upon winning Idol. Then, from her perspective, it seemed that she’d lost it all. “it just became heavy for me to the point that I just wanted to be away from the noise.”
“We go through things, you fall, you get back up,” Barrino told E! News at this week’s Elle Women in Hollywood Celebration. “I’m looking at these women who have a story, who are mothers, who are wives, who’ve fallen and gotten back up, they’re fighting. I want to enjoy this and know that I worked hard to get here.”
As for whether or not she’s thinking about Oscar gold, Barrino says she’s already seeing the “best reward” she could hope for from her return to this role that shaped so much of her early career.
“the best reward is watching these women and men leave the theater watching the movie and saying they’re healed and they’re whole,” she told the outlet. “And they can let go of things. All of those Oscars mean a lot to me.”
Ironically, considering how its catapulted this latest chapter of her career, Barrino initially turned down a return to The Color Purple, recalling how much it drained her the first time she immersed herself into the complex role of Celie.
Getty
Tom Sandoval ‘Fought So Hard’ for Rachel Leviss, Hopes She Loved Him, Wasn’t Just Chasing Fame
View Story
It took director Blitz Bazawule breaking down his vision for Celie to change her mind. “When he told me he was giving Celie an imagination, I said yeah,” Barrino told E! “Because here’s the thing: We go through trials, but we don’t do that quietly. There’s something that keeps us pushing. There’s something inside of you that always imagines, ‘You know what? If I keep on pushing, I’m going to get there and that’s what he gave her, and I love that.'”
The way Bazawule explained this change to EW was that he wanted audiences “to be able to see certain things” that Celie couldn’t otherwise express. Barrino said that his fresh take on the classic story is “necessary for this generation.”
The Color Purple stars Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks reprising their Broadway roles as Celie and Sofia, respectively. They’re joined in this new musical film adaptation by Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, H.E.R., Corey Hawkins, Ciara, Halle Bailey, Jon Batiste and more.
Winfrey returns to the property, this time as a producer alongside Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, and Scott Sanders. The new film is scheduled for a theatrical release on Christmas Day.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.
