Oprah gives Halle Bailey gift on emotional final 'Color Purple' shoot (original) (raw)

Winfrey gave Bailey a bouquet of flowers as she wrapped production on the upcoming movie musical, nearly four decades after she received an Oscar nod for the first film.

Published on June 30, 2022 12:00PM EDT

Oprah Winfrey cemented Halle Bailey's induction into The Color Purple family with a sweet gift on the singer-actress' final day of shooting the upcoming ensemble musical.

Winfrey — who received an Oscar nomination for her role as Sofia in Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker's beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning novel — approached Bailey on location at 3 a.m. to give her with a bouquet of flowers after she finished filming her last scene on the Blitz Bazawule–directed movie.

"That's a wrap for me in The Color Purple," Bailey tweeted alongside a series of photos from the production, including a shot of her posing with Winfrey. "I'm so very grateful to have had this experience, my second major motion picture complete in the last year. God is so good. Here's a few of my favorite moments without showing too much."

Winfrey and Spielberg are returning to The Color Purple as producers, with the ensemble cast led by American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino as Celie; Colman Domingo as Mister; Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery; Corey Hawkins as Harpo; Danielle Brooks taking over for Winfrey in the role of Sofia; H.E.R. as Squeak; Ciara as Nettie (which EW exclusively revealed in March); and King Richard Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis as Mama.

"I'm so happy to pass whatever baton from 35, almost 40 years ago to you," Winfrey previously told Brooks in a video showing the moment the icon revealed to her that she'd been cast in the role. "And I know you're going to kill it."

"My heart is so full — thank you," Brooks said in the clip. "And I tell you, Ms. Oprah, I did not get to thank you enough the first time. So, thank you. I'm so glad I get to tell you face-to-face thank you for the journey that you allowed me to have the first time."

Oprah gave Halle Bailey flowers on her final day of filming 'The Color Purple' musical movie. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders are also producing the Warner Bros. production alongside executive producers Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Mara Jacobs, Carla Gardini, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Adam Fell.

The Color Purple musical hits theaters Dec. 20, 2023. Watch Winfrey give Bailey flowers on her last day of filming above.

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