Danielle Brooks can chart the course of her life with The Color Purple. "It's been a journey to get to this moment: from being at Juilliard scraping pennies together to take the subway to any local theatre audition I could get, to playing this role on Broadway and being Tony-nominated, to auditioning for this film, then having Ms. Oprah pass the baton to me," she reflects, "and to now being Oscar-nominated."
In truth, it begins even before then. Brooks grew up in small town South Carolina, where she began acting in church productions at the age of 6. In 2005, she saw her first Broadway show, the original Broadway production of The Color Purple, and as she recalls, "That's where that first spark happened for me of saying, 'I can do this.'" After graduating from The Juilliard School, she made her own Broadway debut playing Sofia in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple, for which Brooks was Tony-nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
"What I love about playing Sofia is how she taught me that I am worthy," Brooks says, "and I hope others can relate to that as well, because we all deserve to feel like we have a place in this world."
She reprised the role for the musical movie version of The Color Purple, and at the 96th Oscars, Brooks is a first-time Oscar nominee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
"It's one thing to dream of this occasion but to have it actually happen is mind-blowing," the actress says of the recognition. "This role demanded a lot from me mentally and physically because of the emotional complexity Sofia carries, but I would do it over and over again in a heartbeat because the importance of this character is so crucial to humanity, to who we all are, to learning to stand up for ourselves and get back up when the world pushes us down."
Below, Brooks shares with A.frame five films that have inspired her and continue to inspire her, including the Oscar-winning performance that serves as her personal North Star.
Directed by: Forest Whitaker | Written by: Terry McMillan and Ronald Bass
First of all, the soundtrack alone should've garnered an Oscar nomination. Some of my favorite acting moments lie within this film, from Loretta Devine's comedic walk away scene, to Wendell Pierce's hilarious sex scene, to Angela Bassett's burn-the-whole-thing-down, cigarette-in-mouth epic moment. The movie was just brilliantly directed by the one and only Forest Whitaker, which was the icing on the cake for me.
Directed by: Bill Duke | Written by: James Orr, Jim Cruickshank, and Judi Ann Mason
This was my favorite childhood movie growing up. I had learned all the words, songs, and choreography. As a teenager, this was one of the first movies that helped me realize I could merge my love for acting and singing into one place. They could coexist. It's just a brilliant, fun film about stepping outside of yourself to help service someone else's dream.
Written and Directed by: Damien Chazelle
I'm a major jazz lover, and I attended Juilliard, so this movie was calling my name when it first came out. The level of discipline and passion you have to have for the craft to be able to endure tough training is what first caught my eye about this film. It was such an intense movie. And I, too, like Miles Teller, know the feeling of literally putting your blood, sweat, and tears into the art form you love.
Directed by: Taylor Hackford | Written by: James L. White
Jamie Foxx put his whole soul into portraying Ray. After watching his performance in this film, I knew I had to play Mahalia Jackson for the challenge it would bring me as an actress. I've always been a student of the craft. And every time I watch Jamie play Ray — which I've seen over 20 times now — it reminds me that there's always so much more you can discover about a character. His work in this film is truly inspiring.
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos | Written by: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
The makeup. The costumes. The cinematography, and Olivia Colman as Queen Anne did it for me. Seeing women at the center of this 18th century story, being as brass and daring as they wanted to be, reminded me to give myself more freedom in my work. I would love to get a chance to work with Yorgos Lanthimos one day and create something outlandish and out of the box together.
