Oprah Winfrey reveals Warner Bros. wanted Beyoncé or Rihanna to star in "The Color Purple."

In The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey reveals that Warner Bros. wanted the producers to approach Beyoncé and Rihanna to (most likely) play Shug Avery. The shocker is that Oscar-nominated and Emmy-nominated Taraji P. Henson had to swallow her pride and audition to win the role just to prove herself. Winfrey acknowledges the pressure to ensure a hit:

To be completely honest about it, if you were doing this film for $30 or $40 million, the interest in the cast would be very different. Once the film moved to $90 to $100 million, then everybody wants us to bring Beyoncé,” she says. “‘Can you get Beyoncé or can you get Rihanna?’ So we’re sitting in a room saying, ‘Listen, we love Beyoncé. We love Rihanna, but there are other actors who can do this job.’ I do remember conversations about, ‘Y’all, Beyoncé is going to be busy this year.’ It wasn’t even a negotiation, because you’re not getting Beyoncé.

Taraji is a vet now and being devalued during this point in her career must have been a severe slap in the face! Talent and accomplishments alone will never be enough as she sadly discovered. Beyoncé and Rihanna or no Beyoncé and Rihanna, $100 million dollars in Hollywood for an all black cast these days is quite a big deal. So hopefully, people (especially black people) come out in droves to support this project.