Oprah Winfrey always wanted to be an actress. At a THR roundtable last year, Winfrey revealed that she was discouraged from pursuing acting during her teen years by her father, who declared, “No daughter of mine is going to go out there ho-ing herself.” So Winfrey took over the daytime talk-show world instead, becoming a global sensation first and an actress second.
After receiving rave notices for her supporting turn in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Winfrey is now in talks to make her Broadway debut in a revival of Marsha Norman’s ‘night, Mother opposite theater legend Audra McDonald. The 2015–2016 season hopeful would translate Norman’s Pulitzer-winning play, which deals with a mother attempting to dissuade her daughter from committing suicide, to a black context.
“Oprah has had a longstanding desire to act on Broadway,” said Scott Sanders, a producer of the production. “She understands how unique and challenging performing live on stage will be as an actress. She and I have been looking at a number of plays and roles in order to find material and a character that truly resonate with her.”
Winfrey and Sanders previously collaborated on the 2005 Broadway production of The Color Purple, which the two are considering reviving for the upcoming 2014–2015 season.
[h/t The New York Times]
