Taraji P. Henson’s BTS Look At Her Vocal Training for The Color Purple Has Us Floored

We can’t even fathom the work that went into creating some of our favorite movies of the year, including The Color Purple. The film’s star-studded cast, featuring the likes of Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Halle Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, and more, went through rigorous vocal warm-ups, choreography, and more to bring the Tony Award-winning musical to the big screen. Thanks to Taraji P. Henson, we got a look behind-the-scenes at what it took for the dazzlingly talented cast to prep for the film, and this video will leave you absolutely floored.

In a clip shared by The Curious Case ofBenjamin Button Oscar nomineelast night, Henson is seen working with vocal coach Stevie Mackey on the song “What About Love?” from the film. The two go over how to reach those tricky high notes, and before long, Henson is belting out the tune. We were bowled over by her voice. Just listen for yourself and watch the clip below!

“Ladies and gentleman the man behind [Shug Avery voice] [Stevie Mackey] I love you so much,” the caption to her post began. “You helped me to unlock some thangs vocally. We worked so hard. You helped give me the confident I needed to breathe life into [Shug Avery] I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL.”

Henson plays Shug Avery in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical. Just for a bit of background, the musical, which made its Broadway debut in 2005 with a 2015 revival, is based on the 1985 film. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple (1985) received 11 Oscar nominations. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if this new iteration of the classic story by Alice Walker earned a few nods from the Academy Awards in a few weeks.

The movie is currently in theaters and received positive reviews among critics. Much of that is in no small part due to the immense talent of the film’s cast. Seeing Henson, who’s been nominated for an Oscar and four Primetime Emmy Awards, belt her heart out has us ready to race to the theater to see her as Shug Avery. So, if you’ll excuse us, we have some movie tickets to order right about now.

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