Oprah Winfrey recently revealed that she was paid $35,000 for her first film role, The Color Purple. Oprah discussed her experiences with the stars of the new musical, including Taraji P. Henson and Fantasia Barrino, for Essence magazine. Oprah, who played Sofia in the 1985 film, said that her salary was “the best $35,000 [she] ever earned”, describing the film as life-changing. “I can’t even begin to tell you what it means to me—a person who wanted nothing more in my life than to be in The Color Purple…And to have all of you beautiful Black women bearing witness to the story, as the story moves forward, means so much,” said Oprah during the Essence magazine conversation. Oprah, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in the 1985 film, is now producing the new musical movie.