Blitz Bazawule continues to shut down the rumors after Oprah Winfrey recently spoke out to ET.
The Color Purple director Blitz Bazawule wants to remind everyone that his critically acclaimed new film was "born out of love."
Bazawule spoke with ET's Denny Directo at the 14th annual Governors Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where he discussed the celebratory film and the recent headlines surrounding a rumored rift between producer Oprah Winfrey and star Taraji P. Henson. The rumors began when Henson made comments on her experiences with pay disparity in Hollywood, which some interpreted to be about Winfrey.
Winfrey recently put those rumors to rest while speaking with ET at the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday.
"It was a love fest and continues to be a love fest," Bazawule tells ET of making the film. "Like anything, there are ups, there are downs, there are things you would have loved to be better and our job is always to take stock of what can be better. But in terms of how we worked on this film, I mean, goodness, it was born out of love. I'm really, really thankful that that conversation is happening."
As for Winfrey's love of repping the film's signature color purple, Bazawule adds, "Listen, Oprah's commitment to the purple is truly unmatched. I mean, what a special person to have this moment with. We're lucky."
Winfrey spoke to ET on Sunday, disputing the internet's claims that Henson was speaking about her while addressing her experiences with pay disparity in Hollywood.
"I would just like to say about this whole Taraji thing ... I heard I was trending yesterday," Winfrey told ET's Kevin Frazier. "People are saying that I was not supporting Taraji. Taraji will tell you herself that I've been the greatest champion of this film. Championing not only the behind the scenes projection but also everything that everybody needed. So whenever I heard that there was something that someone needed, I'm not in charge of the budget because that's Warner Brothers. That's the way the studio system works."
She added, "We as producers, everybody gets their salary, everybody is negotiated by your team. And so, whenever I heard there was an issue or there was a problem, there was a problem with cars or the problem with their food, I would step in and do whatever I could to make it right. And I believe that she would even vouch for that and say that is true."
Winfrey doubled down on dispelling the rumor, noting, "There's no validity to there being a thing between Taraji and I."
Henson -- who plays Shug Avery in the reimagining of The Color Purple — has used the film's press run to emotionally reflect on the pay gap she has witnessed first hand during her decades-long career.
Last week, ET spoke with Henson at the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Film Awards gala, where she reacted to all the buzz surrounding her emotional comments.
"[It's] because I've been saying it for years," Henson shared. "If you go and do research and look at any women of color in the industry, they said the same thing."
"I don't know why people decided to hear the words [this time], maybe it was the emotion attached to it," she added. "But like I said in the interview, I'm just tired of us having that same conversation. Something's gotta give."
The Color Purple, which debuted in theaters on Christmas day, picked up two acting nominations at the Golden Globes for stars Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks.
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