Oprah Winfrey says she “held a grudge” about the failure of her 1998 film “Beloved” directed by Jonathan Demme and based on Toni Morrison’s bestselling novel. Oprah is in London to promote the release of “The Butler.”
“I was so disappointed by the box office reception of Beloved,” Oprah tells Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail. “I took it personally that people didn’t go to see it. Literally.” Winfrey says that when audiences for her talk show told her how much they loved her in The Color Purple (1986), she’d respond “But you didn’t go see Beloved. I held a grudge about it for a long time.”
Oprah also says “Butler” director Lee Daniels had wanted her character, Gloria, to have a bed scene with Terrence Howard. Winfrey nixed that plan.
It’s a great interview, from beginning to end:
