Fantasia Declares ‘I Fell, but I’m Up!’ as Oprah Calls Her ‘Color Purple’ Role a ‘Triumph in Action’

variety.com:

BreAnna Bell Fantasia Barrino spoke about the need to persevere through adversity at Variety‘s Power of Women Presented by Lifetime. “I’ve been through some things I haven’t been afraid to share,” Barrino said in her speech at the event on Thursday. “Sometimes we don’t want to share what we go through, but I knew that my tests were part of my testimony, and I knew that my testimony would help a lot of people.” Barrino also spoke about her role in the upcoming musical film adaptation of “The Color Purple,” in which she will portray Celie, a role she previously played on Broadway. “I want to thank Celie,” she said. “I didn’t want to play this role again, because I knew this role would bring up some certain things in my life that I thought I was over, but I think I just suppressed.

So when they called me I said ‘I cannot do it. I’m married. I’m happy. No thanks.’ But I had to for every young lady that has been through some of the things that I’ve been through.

Not even the young ladies, there are some ladies that are a lot older than me that say, ‘Thank you for sharing your story.'” Barrino concluded on a message of hope, dedicating her award to Celie, her own daughter, and “every young lady that’s going to go through some things.

But it does not matter what you go through, baby. We fall down but we get back up. You Google me. I fell but I got back up!” In introducing Barrino, Oprah Winfrey said “Several years ago, as a producer, I watched Fantasia embody the character of Celie on the Broadway stage, and I thought, well, what could top that?