The 'Color Purple' star chatted with ET at the 96th annual Academy Awards on Sunday.
Danielle Brooks is living it up at the 96th annual Oscars! The Color Purple star, who was nominated for her portrayal of Sofia, chatted with ET on the red carpet and reflected on her journey to film's biggest night -- especially after she briefly contemplated quitting the industry.
"It's just been so much fun," the actress said of this year's awards season. "I think this is one of my favorite looks because this will forever be my first Oscars look. And it just makes me feel like -- this is a dress that makes me feel like, I'm coming back."
The Color Purple is a coming-of-age musical directed by Blitz Bazawule and also starring Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson. Brooks also portrayed Sofia on Broadway during the 2015 revival production, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. Her cinematic performance earned her an Oscar nomination in Best Supporting Actress category, and the feat marks sort of a full-circle moment, given that Oprah Winfrey -- who played the same character in the 1985 film -- also was nominated for an Oscar in the same category, and it was Winfrey who called Brooks over Zoom and surprised her with the Color Purple casting news.
Brooks shares that she and Winfrey talked "this morning" over FaceTime, during which the film producer gushed over her Oscars look. "She was like, 'You look so great!' And I got to talk to Blitz Bazawule and Corey Hawkins. It's been a love fest. But I wish they were here."
While the film earned numerous nominations at the BAFTAs, the Critics Choice Awards, the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards and others, it was among numerous films to be notably snubbed at this year's Oscars. Brooks was the only cast member to nab a nomination for Sunday night, which she ultimately lost to Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
Brooks tells ET that she is "carrying" the Color Purple team with her. "And not just the actors, but people like Fatima Robinson as well and the choreographer. They don't even have a choreographer category, but the people that cast us, everybody involved. This is for us the dancers. This is very, very special," she adds.
It's been a long time coming for Brooks, who recalls a previous interview during which she revealed that she almost quit acting before getting the role of Sofia. "People come into contact with me and they see smiles and dimples and there's been a lot of hurt and pain," she shares. "I will one day write a New York Times bestseller to tell you all about it, but not today."
"...When you know that God has told you something over your life, you're never rushed to fulfillment of that promise. And it will come to pass," she adds. "I am a living witness that it will come to pass, I am here. It's hard, it's hard."
That hardship is exactly why Brooks is determined to enjoy every last minute of awards season. "I don't want to miss anything because I don't want to look back and think I was upset because I didn't get that, and I didn't do that. I want to look back and say, 'Oh my gosh!' I got to talk to y'all, I look fabulous, look at my nails, look at this carpet, this red; I wanna remember the good stuff," she gushes.
The 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, is airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC. Follow along at ETonline.com for full Oscars coverage, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
RELATED CONTENT:
