If Not for Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey’s Weight Insecurities Could’ve Cost Her 'The Color Purple'

Oprah Winfrey recently opened up about her battle with weight issues and how it almost hampered her acting career. The movie producer and talk show host, during an event for the world premiere of The Color Purple, disclosed how she almost lost her chance to be a part of the movie, if it weren't for Steven Spielberg, who entrusted her with the opportunity.

When Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight addressed Winfrey's physical transformation at the world premiere event in L.A. and asked the actress what she had been doing to get results, Winfrey replied, "It's not one thing, it's everything." This was not the first time. Winfrey has opened up about her insecurities around her weight on several occasions. Back in 2006, the television personality told NBC News, "When I heard that they were doing a movie, I made a decision that I was going to find a way to get on the set of that movie. And I started praying for it. Literally like praying for it."

In the 1980s, while striving to secure her breakthrough role as Sofia in The Color Purple, the media mogul grappled with the same insecurities which led her to join a weight loss program to prepare for the film. Without Spielberg's timely support, her weight concerns might have jeopardized her chances at the role. The businesswoman is known to have joined WW (formerly WeightWatchers) in the past. 

At the world premiere of The Color Purple, dressed elegantly in a form-fitting purple gown, the actress and philanthropist discussed her role as a producer in the upcoming musical adaptation of the beloved film, in which she originally starred and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. During her 2016 appearance at Essence Fest, she recalled an instance when she thought she wouldn't land the role, "Reuben says to me, ‘You don’t call me. I call you. And I didn’t call you. Do you understand I have real actresses who have auditioned for this part?’ I hung up the phone and started crying." 

"I decide that this is because the fat has finally caught up with me. Now I must get rid of the fat. In two weeks I’m going to go to a fat farm, and I’m going to lose 25 pounds. I’m going to drink a lot of green juice. I’m going to have cleanses and colonics," she continued. At a time when she was on the verge of abandoning hope for the role, Winfrey received a phone call from the renowned director Spielberg. Recalling her conversation with the director, Winfrey disclosed to NBC News, "He says, 'First of all, what are you doing? I hear you're at a fat farm.' No, [I say] 'it's a health retreat. It's a health retreat. He then says, 'If you lose a pound, you will possibly lose this part. I'd like to see you in my office tomorrow.'" The rest was history!