H.E.R. To Make Her Acting Debut In 'The Color Purple'

H.E.R. To Make Her Acting Debut In 'The Color Purple'

H.E.R. (born Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson) is slated to make her big-screen debut in the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical version of The Color Purple.

The Grammy and Oscar-winning singer is set to portray Squeak - a juke joint waitress/aspiring singer - in the film adaptation produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, the 1985 films star and director.

In the original Spielberg film, Rae Dawn Chong played the role of Squeak , while Krisha Marcano portrayed the character in the original Broadway cast version.

Based on Alice Walkers 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel subsequently adapted from the 1985 film, the Tony-winning musical starred Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo during its 2015 revival. First announced plans to produce a feature film in 2018 led to a lengthy development and the adaptation has added Beyonces Black Is King collaborator Blitz Bazawule as director.

Warner Bros. will release The Color Purple adaptation and has set a release date of December 23rd, 2023 for the big-screen musical.

In 2016, Rolling Stone talked with Erivo about her show-stopping rendition of the musicals Im Here. I feel super proud to be able to sing that song because I feel like its not specifically just for me, Erivo said. I feel like its for all people who need a moment to check in with themselves and realize that they themselves are OK, and they dont need many things to make them OK. I feel like that isnt specifically just for Celie; I think that she sings it for everyone else as well.

Author: Brad LeBeau

Photo: MTV International