The new movie, The Color Purple, is out. Though Oprah Winfrey starred in the original film, she's not in this latest one.

She revealed to The Hollywood Reporter why she didn't want to be on film and why Whoopi Goldberg was cast. Oprah played Sofia in the original 1985 film and was also nominated for an Oscar.

Oprah Winfrey explains why she didn't want to appear in the new The Color Purple movie

Winfrey contemplated being in the church scene but decided it wouldn't be in the movie's best interest.

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“Actually, I thought about it, it would've been good in the church scene, but I thought it would also be distracting when Sofia is getting married that if the old original Sofia was just one of the people in the church, and then they were shooting that in the middle of Georgia when COVID was [spreading] like, ‘OK, well I ain't sitting in that church all day anyway,'” she said. “And also, I just think it's more special that it's just Whoopi.”

Regarding Whoopi Goldberg, who played Celie in the original film, she had her reasons for putting her in the film.

“[We] just thought it was a wonderful Easter egg for audiences who have appreciated the film over the years, for the diehards,” the former talk show host said. “And we also thought it was a lovely homage to Whoopi.”

The new Oprah-produced The Color Purple movie stars Fantasia Barrino as the adult Celie and Danielle Brooks as Sofia. It is out in theaters now.