How Actor Danielle Brooks 'Already Won' Before The Oscars

Notes from America with Kai Wright

WNYC Studios

News Commentary, Politics, History, News

4.4 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2024

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Danielle Brooks, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress following her masterful portrayal of Sofia in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple,” discusses her journey to the Oscars with host Kai Wright.

Brooks was the sole representative at the 96th Academy Awards from last year’s film adaptation. The first time novelist Alice Walker’s story met the silver screen, directed by Steven Spielberg, it earned 11 Academy Award nominations but notably took home no gold. “The Color Purple” later evolved into a musical, premiering on Broadway in 2005. Brooks stepped into the role of the brazen and spirited Sofia for the 2015 revival of that show, all while playing Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson in the Netflix series “Orange is The New Black.”

Brooks talks about her rise to fame, overcoming impostor syndrome in Hollywood and her next film project, which is quite a departure from projects she’s taken on before.

Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at [email protected]. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.

Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET., and listeners to the broadcast and podcast are invited to join the conversation at 844-745-TALK(8255). Podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Let's get some mother-fucking fried chicken up and get me.
0:05.0	Yeah!
0:07.0	You're all sitties.
0:08.0	I'm glad.
0:09.0	She black.
0:10.0	And we like fried chicken.
0:12.0	Chicken for the people.
0:14.3	I think you could really sing the hell out of the blues.
0:17.8	One Negro can't sing the hell out of the blues.
0:20.8	That's what life been for most of us. Now gospel, that's the cure for the blues.
0:27.0	I'm gonna move on up a little higher.
0:31.0	I'm gonna be able to nizic. Yes, I'm gonna move on up a little up a little
0:38.4	high you told Haifo to beat me. You's a damno. God knows I do but I kill him days before I let him or anybody beat me. It's notes from America. I'm Kay Wright. Welcome to the show.
1:10.0	It's notes from America. I'm Ky Wright.
1:12.0	Welcome to the show.
1:14.3	At this week's Academy Award Ceremony,
1:16.7	Danielle Brooks was the lone representative
1:19.1	for the 2023 film adaptation of the color purple. She was nominated for best actress in a supporting role for her performance as Sophia.
1:27.0	That iconic character in Alice Walker's novel was first played on screen by Oprah Winfrey in her breakout role in the 1985 film.
1:37.0	Oprah Winfrey has become synonymous with the Color Purple story and she's the force behind last year's film too.
1:44.8	She also brought the story to Broadway twice and she first cast Danielle Brooks as
1:49.7	Sophia in one of those stage versions.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WNYC Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of WNYC Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.