It was good stuff, but stuff that makes you gain weight, like avocado, whole-wheat bread and creamy salad dressings. He set me up with a trainer and they really pushed me. Spielberg had said, ‘I want you between the look, physically, of Oprah and Whoopi.’ At the time, Whoopi was like a little bird. You know, they weren’t into flat stomachs like we are now. I had get the little pooch in the stomach like singers of that era had. I started thinking, ‘Oh my God, if this person wasn’t cast, and if this person wasn’t cast, I don’t think I can do this.’ I just had to get on my knees and pray to God for the courage to believe in myself. The most beautiful and spiritual thing that happened for me was that after I was cast-and I share this with anyone who starts to not believe in themselves-after I was cast I heard about all these wonderful artists who had auditioned and I started feeling so insecure. That was like a beautiful introduction to getting the role.Įncore! Opening Night At ‘The Color Purple’ on Broadway Alice Walker said that she had seen a lot of tapes of other actors but when my audition came up she just kind of woke up. Because of him I was able to get my work seen by Steven Spielberg. Ruben allowed me to put my reading for the role on tape. I had read the book and was drawn to Shug Avery. I knew Ruben Cannon, who was casting at that time, because he’d cast me in so many television things before, so I wrote him a note. I had been singing in Indonesia and came back to find all these messages on my answering service from other actors saying, ‘Hey Margaret, you’ve got to get your agent on The Color Purple.’ My agent at the time had tried to get me an audition but was told that I wasn’t right for the role- they wanted a singer, not an actor. Well, I was the last character to be cast. What are some memories you have of making the film? It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since The Color Purple opened in theaters. Thirty years after its unforgettable debut, actress Margaret “Shug” Avery looks back on the legacy of The Color Purple. Though the film wouldn’t win in any of the 11 categories it was nominated for, it left an indelible mark on pop culture. Instead, three little-known stars of the film would earn Oscar nods: comedienne Whoopi Goldberg (nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role), talk show host Oprah Winfrey (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), and actress Margaret Avery (also nominated for Best Supporting Actress), who nailed her role as the carefree, sexy, empowered singer, Shug Avery. It was Spielberg’s first drama, and many called it his first Oscar hopeful. The Steven Spielberg-directed film was adapted from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-wining novel and would go on to gross a reported $142 million, from a $15 million budget. On December 16, 1985, The Color Purple premiered in New York City.
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