‘I Fell But I’m Up’: Variety’s Power of Women Event Celebrates Female Resilience and Stars Who Triumph Over Adversity
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business Editor The resiliency of women against long odds and low expectations was the theme of the night on Thursday as Variety and Lifetime toasted four of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars at the annual Power of Women event.
Fantasia Barrino, star of Warner Bros. upcoming remake of “The Color Purple,” dedicated her Power of Women kudo to Celie, the woefully mistreated character she plays in the film, as well as her own daughter.
Barrino didn’t hide her emotions after she was introduced with many superlatives by none other than Oprah Winfrey, who co-starred in the 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel and is a producer on the remake. “To watch Fantasia reembody, reimagine and reinvent Celie for our film was to actually witness triumph in action,” Winfrey told the packed crowd at the dinner ceremony held at Mother Wolf in Hollywood. “This award goes to Celie and my daughter and every young lady that’s going to go through some things,” Barrino said. “But it doesn’t matter what you go through, baby.
We fall down but we get back up. Google me. I fell, but I’m up.” Barrino’s message resonated through the evening as fellow honorees Billie Eilish, Lily Gladstone and Carey Mulligan spoke from the heart about the lives and their philanthropic passions.
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