The Color Purple star calls out film for queer erasure: ‘It’s a story about Black lesbians. Period’
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Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, known for her role in The Color Purple, has taken a stand against film adaptations of the iconic literary work for omitting the queer relationship that is central to the story.
The original novel, written by Alice Walker in 1982, was first transformed into a movie by Steven Spielberg in 1985. Since then, it has also been adapted into a Broadway musical in 2005 (with a revival a decade later) and a radio play for the BBC in 2008.
In 2023, a new film version, this time presented as a musical, was released. This iteration featured Halle Bailey from The Little Mermaid as well as Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson in key roles. However, Ellis-Taylor has expressed her dissatisfaction with how this latest adaptation handled the queer narrative of the original text.
One of the core plotlines of the story revolves around the attraction and relationship between characters Shug and Celie, which was explicitly identified as queer by Walker in her 1996 book The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult. Walker stated that she aimed to portray various forms of women-loving women, including lesbians, heterosexuals, bisexuals, and ‘two-spirited’ womanist women, in a familiar context to her audience.
Ellis-Taylor, who portrays Mama in the 2023 film adaptation, criticized the project for failing to do justice to the novel’s queer storyline. She emphasized that The Color Purple fundamentally tells a story about Black lesbians, regardless of whether this aspect is central in cinematic interpretations.
The actress articulated her disappointment with how the film downplayed or obscured the queer representation present in the source material. She stressed the importance of portraying this element intentionally and not merely incidentally, as she believes it was done in the latest adaptation.
According to Ellis-Taylor, Walker wrote The Color Purple with a purpose, drawing from her own experiences and identity as a Black lesbian. The actress urged for a more deliberate and authentic portrayal of this aspect of the story in film adaptations, calling for audiences to walk away from the movie recognizing it as a narrative about Black lesbians.
She highlighted the significance of having Black women and Black queer women involved in the creation of such projects, noting that the original film was directed by a white man while the remake had a Black director. Ellis-Taylor emphasized the continued relevance and importance of The Color Purple in contemporary storytelling and literature.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel’s enduring legacy, she argued, stems from its bold and groundbreaking exploration of themes such as Black lesbian identity. Ellis-Taylor called for bravery in representing marginalized voices and experiences authentically on screen, underscoring the need for diverse voices in the creative process.
As The Color Purple continues to captivate audiences across different mediums, Ellis-Taylor’s critique serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring and preserving the original intent and identity of the narrative. The actress’s advocacy for authentic representation and visibility for Black lesbians in storytelling underscores the ongoing relevance and resonance of Walker’s groundbreaking work.
“The Color Purple” is available for streaming on Max in the US.
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