The Color Purple: “I’m Here”

A nurse who played a sister to Oprah Winfrey’s Sofia and an actor/massage therapist talk about the meaning of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 interpretation of Alice Walker’s novel and the impact the film had in their lives.

Set in rural Georgia during the early 1900s, THE COLOR PURPLE chronicles 40 years in the life of Celie, a young Black woman enduring severe abuse. Through letters to God and her sister Nettie, Celie navigates trauma, finds her self-worth through the love of singer Shug Avery, and achieves independence and empowerment. The film received wide acclaim and introduced the world to the talents of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, and stars Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, and Rae Dawn Chong.

Host/Creator:Tim Kirkman

Guests: Beverly Hamilton, Shayne Brakefield

Executive Producer: Mary Beth Grealey

Original Music by: John Crooke for Space Factory

Made in association with: Transylvania University

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Special Thanks
Kim Hargett, Lakeysha Medlin, Margaret Pigg, Sarah Horne

TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE

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Some photos courtesy of Beverly Hamilton

102 DEGREES

Beverly Hamilton, center, hoids a child actor in the blistering hit of summer in 1985, playing one of Sofia’s sisters in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple.

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Whoopi Goldberg (Celie) and Oprah Winfrey (Sofia) star in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. Next to Winfrey, local actor and Reel Lives podcast guest Beverly Hamilton plays Sofia’s sister.

SISTERS

Three local women in Union County, NC, were cast to play the sisters of Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) in The Color Purple. Beverly Hamilton, wearing the light purple dress, her back to camera, is a guest on Reel Lives Podcast.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Oprah Winfrey (third from left) takes a break from filming 1985’s The Color Purple to pose with the actors playing her sisters. Beverly Hamilton (right of Oprah) is a guest on this episode of Reel Lives podcast.