Speaker 1: Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly
Speaker 1: conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small
Speaker 1: decisions we can make to become the best possible versions
Speaker 1: of ourselves. I'm your host, doctor Joy hard and Bradford,
Speaker 1: a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or
Speaker 1: to find a therapist in your area, visit our website
Speaker 1: at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you
Speaker 1: love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is
Speaker 1: not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with
Speaker 1: a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much
Speaker 1: for joining me for session three thirty eight of the
Speaker 1: Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our
Speaker 1: conversation after a word from our sponsors introducing our new
Speaker 1: Therapy for Black Girl's holiday gift collection. Our new ensemble
Speaker 1: of drinkwaar totes, journals and sweaters were made to remind
Speaker 1: you of the importance of centering your mental health. Purchase
Speaker 1: your tvg gifts at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash shop.
Speaker 1: Happy holidays, y'all, remember to take good care and give
Speaker 1: good gifts. As we eagerly anticipate the upcoming musical adaptation
Speaker 1: of the Color Purple. I'm sure I'm not alone in
Speaker 1: deciding to rewatch the original film in preparation, and whoa,
Speaker 1: I'm so glad I did. From the iconic sisterhood between
Speaker 1: Celi and Nettie, the show stopping beauty of sug and
Speaker 1: the lessons we learn in trauma and resilience, it's clear
Speaker 1: why this film still resonates with so many of us today.
Speaker 1: I spent some time for this episode with TVG's community
Speaker 1: assistant Naisha, to discuss our memories of watching the original film,
Speaker 1: our favorite characters and moments, and what we're looking forward
Speaker 1: to in the upcoming adaptation. If something resonates with you
Speaker 1: while enjoying our conversation, please share with us on social
Speaker 1: media using the hashtag TVG in Session, or join us
Speaker 1: over in the sister circle To talk more about the episode.
Speaker 1: You can join us at community dot therapy for Blackgirls
Speaker 1: dot Com. Here's our conversation.
Speaker 2: All right, Well, thank you so much for joining me
Speaker 2: again today, Niasha, Doctor Joey.
Speaker 3: I'm excited to get into the subject to the topic.
Speaker 3: Thank you.
Speaker 2: Yes, it's always so fun to have the team with
Speaker 2: me to chat about things that are happening in pop culture.
Speaker 2: We were last chatting about the Renaissance. So many of
Speaker 2: you will remember Naisha from that the Nation. If you
Speaker 2: would just introduce yourself and tell people which do on
Speaker 2: the team.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so hi everyone, I'm Naisha. I'm the community assistant
Speaker 3: here with TVG and I helped run our sister Circle
Speaker 3: and I'm so grateful for the TBG community.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, So we are both anxiously anticipating the release
Speaker 2: of the Color Purple film that would be coming out
Speaker 2: on Christmas Day, and so we took this opportunity this
Speaker 2: week the past couple of weeks to rewatch the original.
Speaker 2: So I'm curious to hear from you now you show
Speaker 2: what were your memories of watching The Color Purple the
Speaker 2: first time?
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, so I was young, unfortunately. I remember the
Speaker 3: just the tough moments, the rough moments, and of course,
Speaker 3: you know, social media popularize the negativity and it's so crazy.
Speaker 3: I remember when I saw Seay spitting in a cup
Speaker 3: and I was like, that is so bad. Why would
Speaker 3: she do that? I thought it was a family member
Speaker 3: she was talking to, and I was like, why would
Speaker 3: you do that to a family member? So, just like
Speaker 3: the small clips and then you know the things that
Speaker 3: are on social media. So I'm so happy I took
Speaker 3: the time to watch it again.
Speaker 2: I don't remember how old I was when it originally
Speaker 2: came out, but I don't remember like fully seeing the
Speaker 2: film in its entirety. I feel like I saw bits
Speaker 2: and pieces here and there. I think it used to
Speaker 2: come on BET pretty frequently, and so I think I
Speaker 2: would catch clips, but I don't know that I had
Speaker 2: ever sat down to like watch the film, and so,
Speaker 2: like you, I took the opportunity to watch it for
Speaker 2: the first time in a long time, I guess, and
Speaker 2: it was really struck by the storyline. And you know, again,
Speaker 2: I had seen like some of the more popular clips
Speaker 2: and those things that people repeat very often. But it
Speaker 2: was very interesting, I think, to see the film in
Speaker 2: its entirety, especially as an adult. Okay, so, since you
Speaker 2: watched the film recently, if there was one clip or
Speaker 2: scene that you feel like was really memorable for you,
Speaker 2: what would you say it would be?
Speaker 3: Yeah, So, as I was watching it, the part when
Speaker 3: shook Avery came and mister was just enthralled by her
Speaker 3: being in his presence and he was trying to cook
Speaker 3: and this is when Seeley sat down. She was like,
Speaker 3: mm hm, you're gonna try to work that catchen yourself.
Speaker 3: I ain't doing or nothing. And I feel like that
Speaker 3: was her moment, so like she knows. She's like, I
Speaker 3: got this, I know what I'm doing, but now I'm
Speaker 3: gonna look at you. You're treating someone else way better
Speaker 3: than you treated me, so let me see what you
Speaker 3: can do about this. And then it was so funny
Speaker 3: he grabbed the keroscene because he couldn't light up the
Speaker 3: stove and she was like, oh, I'm out of here.
Speaker 3: And so that overall that moment, and again I've seen
Speaker 3: that on social media with her just smiling, but since
Speaker 3: I had not seen the film and so long, I
Speaker 3: didn't really remember what that was symbolizing. So that was
Speaker 3: just her moment like you know, you're not as powerful
Speaker 3: as you think you are. That's how I don't.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I feel like Shug was also part of
Speaker 2: one of my favorite clips from the movie. One of
Speaker 2: my favorite scenes was her singing the song to Seely
Speaker 2: and the Duke Joint.
Speaker 4: I guess right.
Speaker 2: I just thought that was a really beautiful moment and
Speaker 2: an example of her rely seeing Seely for who she was.
Speaker 2: I feel like only in her experience with Shug was
Speaker 2: she really seen as an individual since she had been
Speaker 2: separated from Neddie, and so I just.
Speaker 4: Said that there was a beautiful point of pen for
Speaker 4: them both.
Speaker 2: It definitely seemed like they got off to a rocky
Speaker 2: start right when she first was introduced to the family,
Speaker 2: but then seeing how their relationship grew and how she
Speaker 2: really had admiration and love for her by singing that song,
Speaker 2: I thought it was just a beautiful moment in the film.
Speaker 3: Agreed one hundred percent. And as you mentioned, you know,
Speaker 3: it was a little rocky, but sug Mansion. She was like,
Speaker 3: I was just jealous of you because you were with
Speaker 3: mister also known as Albert, which I thought was also funny.
Speaker 3: She was like, Albert, who's this? So she was just like,
Speaker 3: it's all love. I was just jealous, And you know,
Speaker 3: of course, coming off of the highest sisterhood heels out
Speaker 3: such of this later on. But the movie was full
Speaker 3: of sisterhood, and I didn't realize that. I only took
Speaker 3: away the negative parts because of course the media and
Speaker 3: social media, but everything was just love through black women,
Speaker 3: and I'm so grateful I got to experience that now,
Speaker 3: and I'm excited. I didn't think I would be leaving
Speaker 3: my house on Christmas Day, but maybe if I got right, maybe.
Speaker 4: You gotta check it out. You gotta check it out right.
Speaker 2: So one thing that I did want to check in
Speaker 2: with you about just to see what you made of
Speaker 2: this moment. So when Shu gets first introduced into the film,
Speaker 2: it seems like she is like in her room as
Speaker 2: a recluse for a couple of days, which to me
Speaker 2: pointed to maybe some mental health concerns going on.
Speaker 4: What did you make of that?
Speaker 2: What did you think was going on there?
Speaker 3: Yeah, So immediately when she came in, I'm like, oh
Speaker 3: my gosh, she got off tour, she had a rough night.
Speaker 3: I was just giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Speaker 3: But when Mssu's dad came in the picture, he was like,
Speaker 3: what are you doing with her? Nobody wants her. So
Speaker 3: then it made me put it connected together, like she's
Speaker 3: just she needs a moment to recoup, she's trying to
Speaker 3: find herself. She's always on stage. Is that truly her
Speaker 3: character on stage? I was making this up in my head,
Speaker 3: but just because we don't have we didn't know behind
Speaker 3: the scenes of her life. Truly, we were just going
Speaker 3: by what the rumors were within the town. So made
Speaker 3: her moment and then Ceely was happy to take care
Speaker 3: of her because she was showing her love. And that's
Speaker 3: kind of when their relationship as far as sisters began.
Speaker 2: Right right, So what did you think was the story
Speaker 2: behind why her and mister did not actually get together?
Speaker 2: Because it seemed like she was interested. You know, I
Speaker 2: think she made a comment about if I would have
Speaker 2: married anybody, it would have been him. And clearly he
Speaker 2: still has this like un dying love for her and
Speaker 2: like really sees her as.
Speaker 4: The one that got away. So why do you think
Speaker 4: they didn't.
Speaker 2: Ever actually get married or get together?
Speaker 3: And this I didn't even think about that when she
Speaker 3: did come back with her husband, obviously you could tell
Speaker 3: this this guy who's I don't know, has more money
Speaker 3: than mister. I'm not sure, but maybe mister had he
Speaker 3: had a bunch of children, He had a bunch of children,
Speaker 3: you know, he had his wife. Maybe because he has
Speaker 3: so much children here, you know, who's gonna watch his children?
Speaker 3: And also he was that's the parent in me. But
Speaker 3: he was also so interested in other younger women. He
Speaker 3: was going to church and when he was ay and Nettie,
Speaker 3: I don't feel like he wasn't on the level that
Speaker 3: she needed. And she's like, but don't worry, I'm going
Speaker 3: to come back for you. This is what I have
Speaker 3: in my mind. She's like, I'm going to come back
Speaker 3: to you and we'll figure it out from there. Maybe
Speaker 3: got it, got it.
Speaker 2: So we talked about some of our most memorable kind
Speaker 2: of scenes. Who would you say is your favorite character
Speaker 2: from the Hill?
Speaker 3: Yeah, Miss Sophia. Miss Sophia. She wasn't having it. She
Speaker 3: wasn't having it when someone hit her, when someone made
Speaker 3: her upset, and the whole town was like, oh goodness.
Speaker 1: No.
Speaker 3: So when she went to slap the white woman, the
Speaker 3: mayor's wife, I thought she wasn't going to do it,
Speaker 3: but she was like, no, how dare you? Hell no,
Speaker 3: so sorry. She didn't slap the why she punched her
Speaker 3: husband because he slapped her right, thank you. And I
Speaker 3: was like, you did it. You said, you know you're
Speaker 3: going to stand up for yourself because you had to.
Speaker 3: You know, all my life I had to fight. And
Speaker 3: she just kept going. So then we saw her in jail,
Speaker 3: we saw her come out, and we just we saw
Speaker 3: her story more than I remember. And then of course
Speaker 3: toward the end, as his father says, the dead has risen,
Speaker 3: and I laughed because I'm like, oh, snap, here she is.
Speaker 3: And she was ready to rekindle that whole household for
Speaker 3: the children and help them and then help Harpo, you know,
Speaker 3: just keep his duke join going.
Speaker 2: Yeah, sos. Sophia definitely was my favorite in the film too,
Speaker 2: And like you, I hadn't remembered her having such a
Speaker 2: central role in the film, I think because we mostly
Speaker 2: see neddie and Seely in like clips, and so I
Speaker 2: didn't know that Sophia had such a big role. But
Speaker 2: I love that she came in at a time when
Speaker 2: it clearly was not okay for like women to have
Speaker 2: their own thoughts and opinions, and that was like negatively
Speaker 2: but down on. She came in with a very clear
Speaker 2: sense of who she was, which she brought to the
Speaker 2: table and the words people used today, And was really
Speaker 2: looking to Mary Harfall because she genuinely wanted to be
Speaker 2: with him and thought that it was going to be
Speaker 2: like a blending of their families, right, and you know,
Speaker 2: you can see Harfal getting all this awful advice about
Speaker 2: like how to treat her and how to tame her
Speaker 2: so to speak right, and so it really did feel
Speaker 2: like there were several people Seely included because of how
Speaker 2: she had been treated, thinking that to tame her and
Speaker 2: to break her spirit, the only way to do that
Speaker 2: was through hitting her. And so I love that, even
Speaker 2: during that time when it wasn't okay for women to
Speaker 2: be as assertive as she was, that a character like
Speaker 2: her was a part of the film. Now, sadly we
Speaker 2: saw how she was treated because of that, but I
Speaker 2: did appreciate that they showed her coming in with a
Speaker 2: strong point of view and a strong vantage point. Then,
Speaker 2: like you, it feels like sisterhood has been a few.
Speaker 4: For there before Black Girls.
Speaker 2: This year with the book coming out, the sisterhood between
Speaker 2: Seely and Miss Sofia, I thought was really strong. I
Speaker 2: think we saw it in moments when she and Harper
Speaker 2: were still together, but definitely when Miss Sofia had been
Speaker 2: released from jail and they had this interaction in the
Speaker 2: store and Seely helps her to like get the shopping
Speaker 2: lists together, and then we see that carried out and
Speaker 2: you know, the ways.
Speaker 4: That they took care of one another.
Speaker 2: It felt like throughout the rest of their time together,
Speaker 2: and so I really appreciated Miss Sophia as a character,
Speaker 2: but also the relationship that she had with Seely.
Speaker 3: And it's so funny when you talk about the store scene.
Speaker 3: It reminded me in Sisterhood shameless plug here when you
Speaker 3: said when a parent is in the airport and if
Speaker 3: a black woman is there, they got you. They're going
Speaker 3: to help you out, your daughter or your child. You
Speaker 3: know it's gonna They're gonna be well. So she was
Speaker 3: in the store. This is when her eye, like when
Speaker 3: you know, when she came through left jail, her eye
Speaker 3: was just like totally damaged. And Celi saw her in
Speaker 3: the store trying to squint and read the list. She
Speaker 3: was like, I got you. Don't worry. I got you.
Speaker 3: And then when it got in the car, you know,
Speaker 3: after shopping was done and she signed to her, she
Speaker 3: was like, keep your head up, and I was like, yes,
Speaker 3: she's there for you, She's there. And I really enjoyed it,
Speaker 3: and I didn't even remember that at all.
Speaker 2: So I think there have been lots of conversations just around,
Speaker 2: like lots of old classics, like the color purple kind
Speaker 2: of getting remade and people have been different feelings, but
Speaker 2: you know, the color purple is one something that feels
Speaker 2: like it has stuck with people for a very long time.
Speaker 2: Like people feel very moved by the original and by
Speaker 2: the musical, and now even the early reactions that we're
Speaker 2: hearing from people who have got a chance to see
Speaker 2: that the movie have really really enjoyed it, and it
Speaker 2: sounds like they're a fresh thin What do you think
Speaker 2: has really made the color purple something that has stuck
Speaker 2: with audiences for so long?
Speaker 3: The character seeing Oprah and of course Whoopy and where
Speaker 3: they are now where they began, because literally that was
Speaker 3: the movie for her and she didn't think she was
Speaker 3: going to get the role. She thought she was too
Speaker 3: fat for the role of Miss Sophia, and she got
Speaker 3: that role. And that was back then, and I look
Speaker 3: at her now so that you know my thoughts. It's
Speaker 3: the characters and you know, just seeing Whoope go and
Speaker 3: just level up in so many different areas. She still
Speaker 3: has her opinion as herself, but that is what made
Speaker 3: her and because of them, that's why black culture is
Speaker 3: so strong. It's because you can start from one place
Speaker 3: and then pivot into so many different businesses and ventures
Speaker 3: and you know, help the COMMUNI in a variety of ways.
Speaker 2: I think about and again, because we both don't have
Speaker 2: the greatest memories of seeing it in real time, it
Speaker 2: definitely feels like it has probably been so impactful to
Speaker 2: people because it probably was one of the first experiences
Speaker 2: of black women's stories and lives being shared on the
Speaker 2: big screen in that way. So I think that there's
Speaker 2: something about out seeing yourself on film in that way
Speaker 2: that I think really is memorable and impactful for people.
Speaker 2: And I think a lot of people have sadly connections to.
Speaker 4: These characters because there are.
Speaker 2: Often histories of assault in our families, or women being
Speaker 2: talked down to, or you know, kind of all.
Speaker 4: The fighting that women have to do, right.
Speaker 2: I think that's why the line of till you do
Speaker 2: right by me, ain't no good go come to you
Speaker 2: is often something that we find ourselves repeating, right, because
Speaker 2: I think a lot of us have felt in those ways,
Speaker 2: maybe not the same exact experiences, but I think that
Speaker 2: there are lots of experiences in many of our lives
Speaker 2: that feel similar to what we've seen depicted in this movie.
Speaker 3: And I wish doctor Jack and asked this question to
Speaker 3: both of my grandmothers. One grandmother, she saw it on
Speaker 3: Broadway and she with Fantasia. She was so excited. She
Speaker 3: had the playbills actually signed. I believe I have it
Speaker 3: in my garage. But I would wish I could ask
Speaker 3: her that question, like how did you feel seen the
Speaker 3: movie and how did you feel seeing the Broadway show?
Speaker 3: And what do you think it did for black culture?
Speaker 3: Not even that. I would just ask for that, just
Speaker 3: to keep it simple, because she will probably say, our
Speaker 3: stories are being told on the big screen in nineteen
Speaker 3: eighty five, You know, I would love to ask that.
Speaker 5: Question more from our conversation after the break.
Speaker 2: Something else that I think was impactful and I think
Speaker 2: memorable is that the relationship between Sugar and Sealy, I
Speaker 2: feel like was one of the first experiences we saw
Speaker 2: of like a queer relationship between black women on film.
Speaker 2: Why do you think that was so important?
Speaker 3: It was nineteen eighty five. We brung this up in
Speaker 3: a sister circle. You were not walking into your mother's
Speaker 3: house saying that I have an interest in a woman
Speaker 3: and still be there. Possibly a large majority of women
Speaker 3: would not be able to share this with their father,
Speaker 3: their mother, or their grandmothers. So just seeing it on
Speaker 3: the screen and show the equality in the beginning. It
Speaker 3: was a hint. And I also believe it wasn't a
Speaker 3: romantic relationship. It was like a passionate loving like, you know,
Speaker 3: you even want to hold when we're best friends, we
Speaker 3: want to lock arms with our best friend. I think
Speaker 3: that's how I saw it. I didn't really see it
Speaker 3: as a romantic even a sexualized relationship. I didn't see
Speaker 3: it like that. It was just a loving situation. Even
Speaker 3: we saw when Nettie and Celi were reunited, they kissed
Speaker 3: on the lips, they loved each other. It was just like,
Speaker 3: thank you, I'm feeling braced, thank you, I'm so happy
Speaker 3: to see you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I agree with you. And I think
Speaker 2: though what it did for Cealy, like should kissing her
Speaker 2: and then having that exchange the way that they did,
Speaker 2: it feels like it did unlock something for her in
Speaker 2: that clearly there had never been these loving feelings towards
Speaker 2: mister right, like that was not at all a loving relationship.
Speaker 2: And so it does feel like the experience which should
Speaker 2: really opened her eyes to somebody can care for me
Speaker 2: in this way, and like I can have this kind
Speaker 2: of connection with somebody else.
Speaker 4: But you know, and I think that was.
Speaker 2: Really depicted well on film, when she was planning to
Speaker 2: leave with Sugar and then like when that moment doesn't
Speaker 2: happen and she just passes out in the street, right,
Speaker 2: So I really think she was holding on to that
Speaker 2: moment to feel something, because it does feel like again.
Speaker 2: Jake was the first person I think that had really
Speaker 2: seen her in that way since the connection between her
Speaker 2: and Eddie had been lost.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it was tough for her, she said she
Speaker 3: passed out. She was I was like, go ahead, get
Speaker 3: on and get in the buggy, get on the go ahead,
Speaker 3: go and she couldn't. But then, just because of course
Speaker 3: we know the timeline, I was like, it's okay, y'all
Speaker 3: gonna be reunited. I didn't know how they will be
Speaker 3: reunited because I didn't remember, but you know, eventually it
Speaker 3: came about.
Speaker 2: You mentioned that your grandmother saw the musical. Have you
Speaker 2: seen the musical?
Speaker 3: I did in New York. I saw it three times
Speaker 3: on Broadway. It's so crazy. I saw with Jennifer Hudson
Speaker 3: as Shook Avery and I'm in New York and so
Speaker 3: I used to we stood in line with one of
Speaker 3: the cast members from The Color Purple who played mister
Speaker 3: I don't remember his name, but I feel so bad,
Speaker 3: but he was like, you're gonna enjoy it. And we
Speaker 3: stood in line early in the morning. We got orchestra
Speaker 3: seats for like fifty bucks, and I did it three
Speaker 3: times and we enjoyed it, and we had a talk
Speaker 3: back session with Jennifer Hudson. It was fabulous. My wife
Speaker 3: is a big fan of Jennif Hudson and The Color
Speaker 3: Purple and she didn't even see Beyonce at all, but
Speaker 3: she's like, I'm going to see The Color Purple.
Speaker 2: She's not in her renaissance.
Speaker 3: This is a renaissance.
Speaker 2: I love that. So I have not seen the musical,
Speaker 2: so I am curious to see, like how the musical
Speaker 2: is going to be different from the film. So what
Speaker 2: can you share about your experience with the musical and
Speaker 2: how it was different from then what you saw in
Speaker 2: the original film.
Speaker 3: When Celia had a pants shop in the musical, it
Speaker 3: was a big galore, like it was. They made a big,
Speaker 3: big thing about it. So you saw Ms. Sophia and
Speaker 3: Harple they tried on pants, but like the women of
Speaker 3: the town, everyone had their size. Because one size fits
Speaker 3: all and it was just so happy for her. So
Speaker 3: they made it bigger in the musical. And then also
Speaker 3: obviously when Shook Avery was performing, that was a big thing.
Speaker 3: For sure. It was musical, so it was it was
Speaker 3: orchestra and it was music, and it was everything there here.
Speaker 3: It was like she didn't have no mic. This is
Speaker 3: what they had. It was just her singing. Obviously it
Speaker 3: was a great performance, but everything was just so much bigger.
Speaker 3: So this is what I look forward to. And even
Speaker 3: seeing like you know, interviews and clips Shook Avery, you know,
Speaker 3: she was it, so I looked forward to seeing that
Speaker 3: and I'm here, Fantasia Brino is singing I'm here when
Speaker 3: Seeli left, she was like, I'm here and not maybe ugly,
Speaker 3: I may be a woman, but I'm here. That was
Speaker 3: totally different in the musical. That was the song we
Speaker 3: were standing ovation. So again I look forward to that
Speaker 3: in the musical the revamp, and then Fantasia also said
Speaker 3: that was the hardest part of the movie for her.
Speaker 3: We were in the sister circle. We were watching an
Speaker 3: interview with them and they were like, what was the
Speaker 3: tough moment? And of course they shared the labor you know,
Speaker 3: being up standing up late, but Fantasia said that was
Speaker 3: hard because it really hit her and her cast members
Speaker 3: all worked so hard together to bring that to life.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm really excited to see musical version, and I'm
Speaker 2: curious to know whether I will like that one better
Speaker 2: or not, because I do feel like the film it
Speaker 2: feels like a very heavy, serious though there are morements
Speaker 2: of joy and like love and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2: It felt like it was done well on film, and
Speaker 2: so I'm curious to see how that translates to the
Speaker 2: musical version. So I want to know what that's going
Speaker 2: to feel like, if it's going to have that same
Speaker 2: feeling of seriousness, or whether the tone will change a
Speaker 2: little because it's more music added.
Speaker 3: And the benefit of people who cannot watch the film.
Speaker 3: I know a couple of people who could not watch
Speaker 3: it because it was so heavy. I hope the musical
Speaker 3: adaptation helps them and I don't want to say enjoy it,
Speaker 3: but be able to just actually sit down and receive
Speaker 3: such a wonderful project because this is what it is like.
Speaker 3: It really set the stone for black women's stories, so
Speaker 3: I hope it gives When someone shared that with me,
Speaker 3: I said, I hear you, they could not watch it
Speaker 3: because it was so heavy, and that was a different
Speaker 3: experience for me.
Speaker 5: Right right, More from our conversation after the break, So.
Speaker 2: We know that for the original film was directed by
Speaker 2: Steven Spielberg, there was lots of criticism of course him
Speaker 2: being a white man. And so this newest adaptation is
Speaker 2: directed by the Gdanian filmmaker Blitz Basawulee. So what do
Speaker 2: you think will be the different vantage point that he
Speaker 2: will bring to this film that, of course, Stephen Spielberg
Speaker 2: was not able.
Speaker 3: To goodn'tess gracious? I thought it would be an easy question,
Speaker 3: But that's a little tough because I feel like Steven
Speaker 3: Spielberg was such an ally because of the film that
Speaker 3: he put together. And that's hard, doctor, I'm not gonna
Speaker 3: lie to you. That's a little hard outside of just
Speaker 3: updated scenery and more things for the cast to work with.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I also find it interesting that I don't know
Speaker 2: who did the first Broadway adaptation, but it's interesting to
Speaker 2: me that both of these have been like none of
Speaker 2: them have been black women, right, And so it's interesting
Speaker 2: that I'm sure Blitz of course has a very different
Speaker 2: advantage point than Steven Spielberg does, But what would it
Speaker 2: look like for the story to be interpreted through a
Speaker 2: black woman's eyes, and like, what might they do differently?
Speaker 2: I think would be really interesting.
Speaker 3: I'm sure Oprah had a really big stamp on a
Speaker 3: good portch because people want to honor her character as
Speaker 3: well as Whoope. I'm not sure how much will be
Speaker 3: attributed to the direction portion. I don't think much, but
Speaker 3: I know Oprah she was a part of behind the
Speaker 3: scenes very much so, so right, it's them together in
Speaker 3: my eyes because I was looking more of it on
Speaker 3: Oprah Sam.
Speaker 4: Very good point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, she has clearly been very involved in the promotion
Speaker 2: of it, for sure, and I'm sure in making sure
Speaker 2: that the film kept the spirit of what they wanted
Speaker 2: to share. So we've already touched on this a little bit.
Speaker 2: But there are clearly some very big, heavy hitters that
Speaker 2: they've casted for this new adaptation. So Hayle Bailey, isn't
Speaker 2: it her? We already talked about Fantasia Danielle Brooks, So.
Speaker 4: Who are you I was looking forward to?
Speaker 2: You said you liked the Fantasious song on when you
Speaker 2: saw it on Broadway.
Speaker 4: Are you looking forward to that again or something else.
Speaker 3: So, oh my goodness, Daniel Brooks. She did such a
Speaker 3: great job as Sophia on Broadway, and I pulled up
Speaker 3: the cast really quick because I was looking. I was like,
Speaker 3: where does her come in? She's squeaked. I'm looking forward
Speaker 3: to it because I've never seen her perform. But I
Speaker 3: don't want to be biased, but the top three characters
Speaker 3: Miss Sophia, Nettie, and Sealy Shuck. Avery was Jennifer Hudson
Speaker 3: on Broadway, but definitely Taraji. I haven't seen her in
Speaker 3: this role. She's always well, yeah, she's always a headhunter
Speaker 3: in some type of way, but just being you know,
Speaker 3: just being in another role. I'm excited.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I'm excited for all of it.
Speaker 2: Like I said, because I have not seen the musical,
Speaker 2: I think the casting has been superbed. It feels like
Speaker 2: great choices for the cast, and I really am enjoying
Speaker 2: seeing how the cast has grown as a family unit.
Speaker 2: It feels like in a lot of ways through the
Speaker 2: press runs and I'm sure through the filming. I I'm
Speaker 2: so so excited that the strike is over because people
Speaker 2: are getting paid with their worth and that the writers
Speaker 2: seem happy, and that the actors seem happy. But I'm
Speaker 2: also really glad that we're actually getting to have a
Speaker 2: pressure run for this film, because it feels like it
Speaker 2: deserves to have that base to really be celebrated and
Speaker 2: for people to get really excited about it, and so
Speaker 2: I'm really glad that we've been able to kind of
Speaker 2: see them do the interviews in the traditional ways that
Speaker 2: we typically see the actors do pressure runs. So I
Speaker 2: don't know that there's any one person that I'm excited
Speaker 2: about seeing. I think I'm just excited to see what
Speaker 2: the musical version feels like versus the film adaptation.
Speaker 3: Undred percent, and I look forward to seeing the nominations.
Speaker 3: They already got some nominations. I said, Wow, that was
Speaker 3: behind the scenes we didn't even see, right, right.
Speaker 2: That's interesting. I guess I don't know enough about how
Speaker 2: timelines work in terms of stuff being insered because it
Speaker 2: isn't out for the public yet. But maybe because they'd
Speaker 2: had so many advanced screenings it qualifies. I guess. I'm
Speaker 2: not sure.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I wasn't sure, but I was like, Okay, good
Speaker 3: for them. So I'm looking forward to more because this
Speaker 3: is to just put the step up above for all
Speaker 3: the cast members. And I wanted to touch on something
Speaker 3: I was in the Sister circle. We were looking at
Speaker 3: three different interviews together. Daniel Brooks said, you know, she
Speaker 3: definitely came about on Orange and Black cheers. I'm so
Speaker 3: happy for her, and I was an extra Orange and
Speaker 3: Black for a couple of seasons. So seeing them, it's
Speaker 3: like great, Like now so her, they're so hor on
Speaker 3: Broadway and now I'm going to see her here again.
Speaker 3: She said she felt like an imposter when she was
Speaker 3: nominated for which was it a Golden Globe?
Speaker 4: The Golden Globe.
Speaker 3: Nominated for a Golden Globe. She said she called out
Speaker 3: the next day sick because she was nauseous, and Oprah
Speaker 3: said why she was like, because I thought she was
Speaker 3: like she had imposter syndrome. And again in the Sister's Circle,
Speaker 3: we were like, it's not just us. Celebrities have it too,
Speaker 3: this is not just us. I'm happy she shared that
Speaker 3: with us and being what she was vulnerable. It was
Speaker 3: an interview with Oprah and Gail and the rest of
Speaker 3: the team, and it was like, wow, you know you
Speaker 3: got this.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I hadn't seen that interview, but I appreciate you
Speaker 2: sharing that because you're right like I do feel like
Speaker 2: with every new level, some of that same doubt creeps in, Right,
Speaker 2: So it's like, Okay, I've done smaller things and maybe
Speaker 2: I feel comfortable there, but now clearly her platform is
Speaker 2: much larger, her star has risen much higher, and so
Speaker 2: she's introduced to a whole new audience of people.
Speaker 4: And so I think it.
Speaker 2: Is normal sometimes said that, like, oh, do I really
Speaker 2: deserve this, or do I really.
Speaker 4: Know what I'm doing?
Speaker 2: But again, from all of the early accounts I have seen,
Speaker 2: people have loved it, have loved the cast, They have
Speaker 2: really appreciated the adaptation, even though it was already adapted
Speaker 2: into the musical. I think this is another version of
Speaker 2: an adaptation, and so it feels like they've done some
Speaker 2: really cool things with it. And so I'm just really
Speaker 2: glad that they are being celebrated in the ways that
Speaker 2: they deserve for again having a black woman's story, a
Speaker 2: story about black women that really censors I experiences in
Speaker 2: the limelight in this way, I'm.
Speaker 3: So excited for them. We had Beyonce, we got the
Speaker 3: color purple. Let's top up the charts. Okay, so just
Speaker 3: to see, you know, our faces and the theater is
Speaker 3: at this level. I'm so excited.
Speaker 2: The other thing that I'm thinking about is are there
Speaker 2: other films maybe from that eighties early nineties genre that
Speaker 2: you think or do for the remake or some kind
Speaker 2: of new adaptation.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, if Beal Street could Talk, If Bill Street could Talk,
Speaker 3: one hundred and over was in that. But because again,
Speaker 3: the sisterhood and just the stories that were told on
Speaker 3: Beal Street, let's bring it back and doctor joy. Let's
Speaker 3: see if this is going to really come, if it's
Speaker 3: going to happen, because it deserves too, because black women
Speaker 3: hold one another down, and sometimes I feel like, you know,
Speaker 3: with reality TV, we don't honor it so much, we
Speaker 3: do hold one another down. We see the negativity very
Speaker 3: often with reality TV shows sometimes. So I'm like, let's
Speaker 3: see the joy of black sisterhood. So if Bill Street
Speaker 3: could talk, in my mind, that would be a good one.
Speaker 2: See I think mine would be waiting to exhale. And
Speaker 2: I feel like we've had versions of it right and
Speaker 2: I feel like even Insecure was a little bit of this,
Speaker 2: But Insecure was a sitcom, so we got twenty twenty
Speaker 2: five minute episodes. I would love to see a longer
Speaker 2: version of what would those four women look like if
Speaker 2: they were placed in the twenty twenties, right, and how
Speaker 2: would their relationships be. While I think there are opportunities
Speaker 2: for us to kind of remake some of our Black
Speaker 2: women classics, I also hope that other films get an
Speaker 2: opportunity to be made right because new stories are also important, right,
Speaker 2: And I just think that there's so much to say
Speaker 2: from the black women's vantage point. There are so many
Speaker 2: things that I think have gone unexplored about the interior
Speaker 2: pieces of our lives that I really hope get some
Speaker 2: new shine so that there can be more, like there
Speaker 2: can be more of a celebration of the fullness of
Speaker 2: who we are as Black women, and not just like
Speaker 2: only the pieces about trauma or only the pieces of
Speaker 2: our relationships, but but you know, all the things that
Speaker 2: I think really go to make up our lives.
Speaker 3: I'm ready, like overall, when it comes to a Black
Speaker 3: woman on screen, I'm excited. Like I remember when The
Speaker 3: Other Black Girl came out on Hulu. Everybody's on it.
Speaker 3: Now I can say not everybody enjoy it all, But
Speaker 3: I'm happy that we had the chance and opportunity. And
Speaker 3: I feel bad for saying that, but just.
Speaker 2: See that's the thing. I think when there is more
Speaker 2: of the stuff made, then it's okay for us to
Speaker 2: say like, oh, we didn't like this as much, right.
Speaker 2: But I think because we are so protective of the
Speaker 2: few things that we have, it feels like you don't
Speaker 2: want to like say like, oh, I don't know that
Speaker 2: I love that so much. But I think that's why
Speaker 2: we need a variety of So it's to be told
Speaker 2: because everything is not for everybody, right, And so with
Speaker 2: more stories being told, then we can have an opportunity
Speaker 2: to see ourselves and have content that we really enjoy.
Speaker 3: Thank you for making me feel better about that, because
Speaker 3: that's what it is. It's like, no, but since I
Speaker 3: got you, but it wasn't really my realm. But I
Speaker 3: know there's so much more common, So I'm ready let's
Speaker 3: do it.
Speaker 2: So we've touched on this a little bit, but I
Speaker 2: am curious to hear if there are any other sisterhood
Speaker 2: moments that felt really poignant to you from the color
Speaker 2: purple that you want to make sure to highlight.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so again, going back to Sophia when she was
Speaker 3: like it was time for her to leave harpall all
Speaker 3: the women and they didn't have really speaking roles. All
Speaker 3: the women, they were getting her children. And then when
Speaker 3: she was let go from jail and she got to
Speaker 3: go visit her family for like an hour on christ
Speaker 3: not even it wasn't even an hour on Christmas, and
Speaker 3: they were all there and welcoming her, and it was like,
Speaker 3: this is that sisterhood they got one another. And then
Speaker 3: when we saw shook Avery. I know, I'm jumping around
Speaker 3: when we saw Shook Avery, of course to show that
Speaker 3: Ceely she got it within her, she can literally live
Speaker 3: up to her potential. That was like boom sisterhood. And
Speaker 3: then we saw that all of them were in the
Speaker 3: house at the end when Nettie and Celly were reunited,
Speaker 3: it was like, look at all this. I want that
Speaker 3: picture on my wall because that was something like that.
Speaker 3: I'm like, come on, that is just joy right there.
Speaker 3: And we see snippets of individual experiences they had outside
Speaker 3: of the woman who were helping miss Sofia, which I
Speaker 3: thought they were very important to the film.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know, I think that dinner scene when
Speaker 2: Celia feels like finally finds her voice, right, like she's
Speaker 2: found all these letters that Neddie has written her. There
Speaker 2: clearly she didn't know that all of that was still happening.
Speaker 2: She didn't know that all these letters have been hidden
Speaker 2: from her and once she is able to read those
Speaker 2: through Should's assistance. Right, I really feel like that set
Speaker 2: off this beautiful domino effect because I feel like Should
Speaker 2: was somebody who had the opportunity to kind of lean
Speaker 2: into the fullness of who she was.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 2: She was able to step into her gifts and go
Speaker 2: on tour, which means she had been exposed to lots
Speaker 2: of different things, whereas Celia, it feels like, had never
Speaker 2: left her really small town, had not gotten the opportunity
Speaker 2: that she was able to come back and share a
Speaker 2: little bit of that with her, which then allowed Celi
Speaker 2: to speak up at the dinners, And then we see
Speaker 2: Harpo's then wife beside like, Hey, I want to go
Speaker 2: be a singer too, Like I have gifts I want
Speaker 2: to share.
Speaker 4: And so to me, it just.
Speaker 2: Reminded me of how important it is for us to
Speaker 2: share our experience and share our voices in the interest
Speaker 2: of like sharing our own stories, but also because we
Speaker 2: never know what it is unlocking for someone else. Right,
Speaker 2: And so I just felt like that was a beautiful
Speaker 2: kind of domino effect of you being who you are
Speaker 2: so that other people feel emboldened to be who they
Speaker 2: are and just step out on faith in those same ways.
Speaker 3: Yes, I realized there was so much in the movie.
Speaker 3: I didn't even like think about that to you know,
Speaker 3: share that. So when you share, that made me think,
Speaker 3: oh my god. It was her name Mary Squeak, her
Speaker 3: real name, Like her name was Squeak, but because it's
Speaker 3: because the men called her Squeak, I'm very confident she
Speaker 3: didn't give herself that name. So she was finding her voice.
Speaker 3: I was like, look at that, and they're all going together,
Speaker 3: you know. No one was like you can't come with me, sis, No,
Speaker 3: it's like you want to go, let's go. And then
Speaker 3: the men were looking at they were like what you know,
Speaker 3: what is happening here? So it was just like that
Speaker 3: joy It's all I spread throughout the characters. And then
Speaker 3: I was interesting. I questioned. I was like, why was
Speaker 3: Sophia don't want to go? She was confused at sitting
Speaker 3: at the table, and then when she finally came back,
Speaker 3: I was like, she didn't want to go. Maybe I
Speaker 3: feel like she she wanted to stay with Harpo. So
Speaker 3: I get well. Actually, I was like, is she going
Speaker 3: to go back to Harpo? So it was a little
Speaker 3: confusing to me. I was like, are they back together?
Speaker 3: Because remember when she was cleaning the glass in the
Speaker 3: juke joint, Mister was like, it's so nice to see
Speaker 3: you two together, and she was. I didn't say all that, but.
Speaker 2: It did feel like by the end, like when they
Speaker 2: were trying on the pants in the pan shop, it
Speaker 2: definitely felt like they were together. And I do think
Speaker 2: though this could have been an opportunity. Now, clearly the
Speaker 2: ways that Harpo had treated and Sofia was awful, but
Speaker 2: it does feel like so much of that was like
Speaker 2: not really a part of Harpo. It was because other
Speaker 2: people told him, like, this is what a man is right,
Speaker 2: and this is how you take care of your woman
Speaker 2: and how you tame her. And so it does feel
Speaker 2: like maybe they had been able to come back together
Speaker 2: in ways that were healthy by.
Speaker 4: The end and clearly learned that this is.
Speaker 2: How you are in relationship with one another, not as
Speaker 2: a domineering kind of forced over her. Right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so tefinitely it was not his goal to hurt her,
Speaker 3: but his down from him started from his grandfather. You know,
Speaker 3: his grandfather told his father, this is what you do,
Speaker 3: and his father took that very serious and his father
Speaker 3: was like, this is what you do. And then again
Speaker 3: we said in the beginning, seay, this is all she knew.
Speaker 3: So although she was building somewhat of a relationship with
Speaker 3: Miss Sofia, she said what she knew. So yeah, she was. Man,
Speaker 3: I really enjoyed her storyline. Again, didn't really remember it.
Speaker 3: And then going back to the musical when Nettie was
Speaker 3: in Africa, in the musical on Broadway, they just the
Speaker 3: sound and the music and they had real instruments. It
Speaker 3: was like, this is amazing. So that's why I do
Speaker 3: also look forward to so like the letters were being
Speaker 3: read just sharing information about the tribe. I was like,
Speaker 3: this is awesome, we actually have this. That's the only
Speaker 3: album sand Board from the iTunes, the color purple.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm sure you know, everything has gotten bigger,
Speaker 2: technology has gotten better.
Speaker 4: Who knows, they probably were.
Speaker 2: Like a live instrumentation, and you know, I know that
Speaker 2: we are going to be in for a treat who
Speaker 2: this newest adaptation. So I'm just so excited for you
Speaker 2: to see in for all of our community to check
Speaker 2: it out so that people can share their thoughts and
Speaker 2: responses to the new film as well.
Speaker 3: Agreed. Now, I was questioning. I was, am I gonna
Speaker 3: wear purple to the move if I go to the
Speaker 3: movies to see I was like, because when Oprah, we'll
Speaker 3: see people in and purple. She say thank you so
Speaker 3: much for in purple, Thank you so much. And they
Speaker 3: also said, you know in the movie, you can't can't
Speaker 3: walk past the color purple and not smile. It's like, Okay,
Speaker 3: I don't have that much purple, but I can figure
Speaker 3: it out.
Speaker 4: You can figure it out.
Speaker 2: I mean, if we figured out the silver for we
Speaker 2: can surely get some purple together for sure.
Speaker 3: So I look forward to seeing it. I may not
Speaker 3: see it on Christmas Day, but I know I'll be
Speaker 3: ready for it.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you for spending some time with me again today.
Speaker 2: That you should remind us where we can find you online.
Speaker 3: Oh, you can find me at two Mimi's and the baby.
Speaker 3: It's just parenthood and life there.
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, well, thank you again.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Jack and Joy.
Speaker 5: I'm so glad that night she was able to join
Speaker 5: me for this conversation to learn more about her and
Speaker 5: her work. Be sure to visit the show notes at
Speaker 5: Therapy for Black Girls dot com slash Session three three eight,
Speaker 5: and don't forget to text us episodes to two of
Speaker 5: your girls right now. If you're looking for a therapist
Speaker 5: in your area, check out our therapist directory at Therapy
Speaker 5: for Blackgirls dot com slash directory. And if you want
Speaker 5: to continue digging into this topic or just be in
Speaker 5: community with other sisters, come on over and join us
Speaker 5: in the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner of the
Speaker 5: Internet designed just for black women. You can join us
Speaker 5: at community dot Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. This episode
Speaker 5: was produced by Frida Lucas, Elise Ellis, and Zaria Taylor.
Speaker 5: Editing is done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all so much
Speaker 5: for joining me again this week. I look forward to
Speaker 5: continuing this conversation with you all real soon. Take good care.
Speaker 3: What's