MIAMI – Miami’s Keenan D. Washington was able to dance and act in the new “The Color Purple” film based on the novel and the Broadway musical.
Washington, a product of Miami’s New World School of the Arts, said the great Oprah Winfrey, a producer in the film, was on set almost every day.
“You could tell it’s something that she holds dear to her heart,” said Washington, who graduated from the University of the Arts, a private university in Philadelphia.
Washington said being on set made him feel like he was part of a big family.
To celebrate the accomplishment, Washington —who also performed in “Hamilton” and was preparing for another Broadway show — said he rented a theater and filled it up with about 100 of his loved ones.
Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, and Danielle Brooks starred in “The Color Purple,” directed by Blitz Bazawule, and released on Dec. 25.
Watch the movie’s trailer