‘The Color Purple’ Exclusive: Colman Domingo Says ‘As Much As It’s About Sisterhood,’ Film Is About Generational Trauma And Toxic Masculinity!

Have
you

checked
out

The
Color
Purple
yet?

Source:
Courtesy
/
Warner
Bros.
Pictures

GlobalGrind
Sr.
Content
Director
Janeé
Bolden
sat
down
with

Colman
Domingo
and
Corey
Hawkins,
who
play
Mister
and
Harpo
in
Warner
Bros.
new
musical
version
of

The
Color
Purple.
The
actors
discussed
how
this
version
of
the
film
offers
the
opportunity
for
healing
while
shining
a
light
on
generational
trauma,
toxic
masculinity
and
the
way
Black
men
treat
Black
women.

Colman
Domingo
spoke
about
how
his
character
Mister
is
inspired
by
his
son
Harpo.
Mister
spends
decades
abusing
Celie,
before
eventually,
thanks
to
Celie’s
departure
and
Harpo’s
more
progressive
approach
to
relationships,
Mister
begins
to
see
the
light
of
day.

“As
much
as
it’s
about
sisterhood,
it’s
about
generational
trauma,
it’s
about
toxic
masculinity,”
Colman
Domingo
told
GlobalGrind.
“It’s
about
the
effect
these
men
have
on
these
women…
but
help
propel
these
women
to
make
changes
and
evolve.
We
all
have
to
evolve
in
some
way
shape
or
form.
Some
evolve
slower.
Harpo
is
the
new
generation
and
Mister
is…
just
like
living
in
this
silo
of
what
he
believes
being
a
man
is
or
being
a
Black
man
[is]
and
also
treating
women
like
chattel.
But
yet
there
is
something,
he
sees
a
spark
in
his
son
that
is
unique
and
I
think
whether
he
can
articulate,
I
think
he’s
part
of
a
generation
of
men
who
don’t
have
words
for
feelings
or
anything,
but
he
admires
his
son.
I
think
I
think
we
found
that,
in
the
way
we
play
it
and
there’s
something
about
it
that
he
wants
to
be
more
like
him.
But
he
doesn’t
know
how
to
break
his
own
chains.
Everything
must
fall
apart
for
Mister
for
him
to
be
reborn.”

Source:
Courtesy
/
Warner
Bros.
Pictures

Corey
Hawkins
also
addressed
the
generational
trauma
and
healing
that
happens
in
the
film.

“I
think,
especially
when
looking
at
Harpo,
I
don’t
look
at
him
as
a
victim
of
that
cycle,
because
he
truly
is
progressive
in
his
thoughts,”
Corey
Hawkins
added.
“And
I
just
kept
being
like
‘Where
does
that
come
from?’
Because
it
is
learned
trauma.
It’s
something
that
gets
passed
down
and
when
you’re
told
a
certain
thing
you
start
to
believe
it.
But
I
think
it’s
the
God
in
him
and
that’s
the
beautiful
part
about
Alice
Walker.
And
it’s
also
seeing
that
in
Sofia.
And
also
what
his
grandfather
tells
him,
because
there’s
a
thing
about
generational
trauma
and
sometimes
how
it
skips
a
generation.
We
all
have
that
with
our
parents
and
grandparents,
that
dynamic.
We
just
really
tried
to
lay
in
that
possibility
of
love
and
the
absence
of
it
and
place
somewhere
in
between.”

What
we
love
most
about
the
film
is
the
healing
that
we
were
able
to
witness
while
watching.
There’s
a
healing
so
profound
that
when
we
asked
Domingo
and
Hawkins
if
it’s
possible
that
the
film
might
create
a
positive
influence
on
our
community,
the
answer
was
an
emphatic
YES.

“Absolutely,”
Colman
Domingo
agreed.
“I
think
that’s
why,
whether
it’s
the
book
or
the
musical
or
the
film,
which
is
why
it
resonates.
We
keep
going
back
to
it
because
it
really
is
about
all
of
our
families
and
all
of
our
stuff
and
we
put
all
of
our
stuff
is
on
display
and
we’re
like,
‘Okay
let’s
deal
with
it
.
Let’s
deal
with
all
these
interesting
tricky
relationships.’
It’s
not
shying
away
from
anything.
It
deals
with
same-sex
relationships,
it
deals
with
father/
son…
and
sisterhood.
It’s
really
incredible
so
I
love
the
fact
that
it’s
laying
it
bare
in
a
very
raw
and
honest
way.
It
invites
you
to
say,
‘Who
are
you?
And
what
is
your
capacity
for
love
and
for
change,
for
healing?’”

Source:
Ser
Baffo
/
Warner
Bros.
Pictures

“I
love
that
cause
it’s
there
asking
the
hard
questions
right
and
it
puts
it
in
a
film,”
Corey
Hawkins
added.
“That’s
the
powerful
part
about
cinema,
is
that
we
get
all
these
people
get
into
a
room,
they
sit
down
and
they
collectively
get
to
have
these
feelings
in
a
dark
space
where
you
can
just
you
know
share
this
singular
moment,
but
it’s
together
and
you
get
to
ask
those
important
questions
and
then
you
get
to
step
out
after
the
film
is
over
you
leave
and
you’re
changed
in
some
way.”