I remember Oprah telling the story about when she first read The Color Purple. She was so moved that she bought the book for everyone and had a backpack full of copies. She handed them out wherever she went.
Then she heard they were making the book into a movie. She had to be in it. But she had never acted before and was working on a news show in Chicago. Producer Quincy Jones was in Chicago for business, and he happened to see her on his hotel television. He put her name forward for the role. Continue reading