Warning: This post contains spoilers for "The Color Purple."
Danielle Brooks is unpacking one of the most powerful scenes in “The Color Purple,” set at a Thanksgiving dinner table — and what helped her to get to that moment of “rebirth and renewal.”
In the Blitz Bazawule-directed film, adapted from the Tony-winning Broadway musical and Alice Walker's book of the same name, the dinner table scene acts as a turning point for multiple characters, including Brooks' Sofia.
It's the moment where Celie (Fantasia Barrino) finds her voice and the courage to stand up to her abusive husband, Mister (Colman Domingo), whom she was forced to marry as a teenager. It also marks the first time a broken and withdrawn Sofia regains her confidence after being unjustly imprisoned for her refusal to work as a maid for the mayor’s wife.
Set at Mister's house on Thanksgiving, the pivotal scene opens with light dinner conversation by those in attendance, including Mister’s mistress Shug (Taraji P. Henson), his son Harpo (Corey Hawkins), Harpo’s girlfriend Squeak (H.E.R.), and Mister’s father (Louis Gossett Jr.).
When the niceties dissolve, the conversation turns into a heated argument between Mister and Celie, during which a newly self-assured Celie finally stands up for herself and condemns Mister for his years of mistreatment.
Watching their exchange, Sofia suddenly bursts into laughter, and soon transitions into heavy sobs. Through tears, Sofia thanks Celie for “checking in on me” all those years she was away in jail. She also credits her as the reason she was able to make it through prison and not give up.
Brooks tells TODAY.com what it took for her to get into Sofia's headspace in that moment.
“I think about the relationship that (Sofia) and Celie have had during this time and how they both have helped each other. A lot of people notice what Sofia has given Celie, which is that strength,” she says. “I also feel like Celie has subconsciously poured into Sofia how to be more submissive, how to have a quiet demeanor to survive. And I think that’s why she was able to survive prison.”
Brooks’ range of emotions during the dinner table scene was hardly an easy sequence to act out. Oprah Winfrey, who starred in the original 1985 version of “The Color Purple,” and was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Sofia, called the Thanksgiving dinner table scene “the hardest scene in the movie for all the actors to do.”
“When I did it years ago, it took us three days to do that scene,” she continued, speaking to a young girl who reenacted the scene on Instagram and “nailed it,” receiving a special invitation from Winfrey, who executive produced the 2023 film, to attend the Dec. 6 premiere in Los Angeles.
Brooks speaks to the importance of Sofia and Celie’s relationship at this moment and how their individual journeys have come full circle.
“When we get to that dinner scene, it’s a beautiful exchange of both of them coming into their power and renewal and rebirth, which I think is so beautifully displayed because of the juxtaposition and how different their personalities have been,” she explains, adding that they were both able to “fly and emerge into their power.”
The film’s theme of self-actualizing after traumatic experiences isn't new to Brooks, who first portrayed Sofia on Broadway in the musical revival. While speaking to TODAY.com, the Golden Globe nominee shared what she's learned from each role.
“When I played (Sofia) in 2015, it was about learning my power and now playing it … many years later, this time it’s been about owning the power,” she says. “And that’s where I’m living in now, that’s what I take from Sofia — owning my power.”
