Taraji P. Henson slams rumours of a feud with Oprah Winfrey on The Color Purple: ‘Not on my watch’

Taraji P. Henson has said that Oprah supported her while they shot The Color Purple. She expressed the desire to move the conversation back to the film.

Taraji P. Henson is in no mood to entertain the rumours of any beef between her and Oprah Winfrey, that has stemmed from recent conversations around her role as a producer on Henson's latest film The Color Purple. In a new interview with NBC's Today programme, the actor said that this entire discussion is 'unfair' because it is diverting the conversation away from the film and is completely false. (Also read: Issa Rae reveals filming ‘Dance the Night’ in Barbie was her worst nightmare)

Taraji P. Henson stars in The Color Purple, which is produced by Oprah.

Taraji addresses feud between her and Oprah

Speaking to NBC's Today, Taraji said how Oprah helped, "[Oprah] would step in and do whatever (she) could to make it right. You know, she called me, she called me personally. Not my team, not my people — me. And asked me, 'Taraji, if there’s anything you need, you let me know.' And I said it with a shaking voice, I was like, 'Well, yeah,' — since she asked. And I told her and she fixed everything the next day. She held our hands the entire production. She showed up, she was there — there are producers that don’t show up on set."

‘I hope they can focus back onto this film’

Taraji went on to add that she is not going to entertain the narrative that there is bad blood between them. "And what you’re not gonna do is pit two Black women together — not on my watch. I hope they can focus back onto this film, because right now, to me, it feels like what I said is now becoming louder than this beautiful film. And that’s not fair to me, or anybody in the film, because the film deals with women who are oppressed — who live in an oppressed system. Men and women. And all the characters in that film except for the white people. So that movie is about healing. That movie is about sisterhood," she said.

Taraji has been vocal over her concerns over pay inequality as a Black actor in Hollywood. She broke down in a recent interview during the promotional rounds of The Color Purple and said how she had hit her breaking point in Hollywood since she continues to be underpaid. After this, many rumors of a possible feud sprung up between her and The Color Purple producer Oprah Winfrey.

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