Tina Turner - Why I Turned Down "The Color Purple" & The Role Of Shug Avery

[quote]She could have gotten an Oscar Nomination!

Maybe she would have sucked.

....

Where did she learn to talk like that?

She sounds so GRAND.

She's very difficult to work with and quite a grand diva. Even Martha Stewart said last month that Tina stayed at her friend's house and was difficult and unsociable.

I LOVE Tina. R2 is an ASSHOLE. I totally agree The Color Purple was depressing as fuck.

Yet... She chose that wrird Mad Max entry for next thespian endeavor?

I read once where she wanted to play an action hero like a James Bond or Dirty Harry. Maybe that would have been more appropriate for her acting talents.

But it's hard to turn down all that touring money to go sit on a movie set.

Funny thing is....Shug really isn't a "dark" part. I would loved to have heard Tina say " you sure is ugly"....but Margaret was wonderful in the role, and deserved her Oscar nomination. Tina was suppose to play the Goddess Shiva in a movie years ago, but that never came to fruition

Tina did not want to be associated with playing a black woman. That was the depressing part for her.

Because after Tina left Ike, she wanted to reinvent herself as white and didn’t want anything to do with black people.

[quote]Even Martha Stewart said last month that Tina stayed at her friend's house and was difficult and unsociable.

Wow! Do you have a link to her saying that? You know someone is difficult if Martha Stewart says that!

Tina is not a great actress. But she makes up for that in personality.

R7 that project was to be directed by Merchant Ivory, and she was to play Shakti. She even travelled through India in 2004 to learn more about the culture. Sadly, the director died the following year - and with him, the entire proiect.

For those interested, here’s an article about Tina and Ismael Merchant in India

There's no Tina like Tina Turner.

Thanks R11 R12, I always wondered why it fell apart....sorry, thought it was Shiva, not Shakti

I just read Elton John’s autobiography and he said Tina was a nightmare to work with.

[quote ]I just read Elton John’s autobiography and he said Tina was a nightmare to work with.

Elton should talk.

[quote]Even Martha Stewart said last month that Tina stayed at her friend's house and was difficult and unsociable.

Oh horseshit.

Thanks for sharing that clip. Her English is amazing for a Swiss person.

Interesting and honest. She was abused (by Ike) and so were a lot of the women in Purple. I get it.

Tina answered open and honestly. Can't ask for anything more.

[quote] Thanks for sharing that clip. Her English is amazing for a Swiss person.

LOL She probably didn't even know where Switzerland was until she was in her 30s.

R17, Martha was asked about that photo of her and Tina in bed and she said that Tina was a handful as a houseguest. Martha threw a special party for her that night and Tina refused to come downstairs to greet guests. She said she was too tired. You could tell that Martha thought she was a bitch when she was telling the story.

Tina is difficult, just like Faye Dunaway.

R22, team Tina. A good hostess would never complain about her guests, at least not publicly.

R22 Do you have a link?

[quote] Martha was asked about that photo of her and Tina in bed and she said that Tina was a handful as a houseguest.

"Darling, let me tell you something: I was scared as SHIT to get in bed with that white dyke! Lord, if I wanted my pussy manhandled by big, meaty hands, I would have stayed with Ike!"

Maybe she really was tired. Didn’t the bitch just have a kidney transplant? She’s an 80 year old woman and not in the best of health.

R26, Please stop making excuses for Tina's bad behavior. It's not like Martha asked her to mow her lawn and clean out her horse stable. If she can travel to Martha's house in NY, then she can walk downstairs and eat something with guests.

Ike?

Tina had a stroke, suffered vertigo, had a kidney transplant and broke part of her pelvis when she fell because of dizziness. It’s a miracle she made it to America for the premier.

That lady has had it tough, the past 5 years. Money can only buy you so much.

..and her son committed suicide two years ago.

All of that would be enough for most of us to never leave the house again.

Have any of you girls read the Book Color Purple much less seen the film?

Alice Walker got a lot of heat and shite from the African-American "community" about that book and film. People were upset that she was airing too much dirty linen in public. That and most of the male characters (Celie's step father, and her husband "Mister" for openers), were also too close to home for some.

In book Ceilie's mother knows her daughter is being raped by her husband. She also knows who is the father of Celie's children, but does or says nothing other than blame Ceilie. Everyone at their church also put two and two together when Ceilie turned up pregnant first and second time, but again no one said nothing.

Mister when not beating his child bride senseless fucks her as if it were an after dinner mint or sleeping pill, just something he does to take the edge off. He promptly goes out chasing is real love Shug Avery....

Wife beating, sexual abuse of young girls, rape, adultery have long been part of the African-American diaspora. Plenty of older AA males from church pastors on down couldn't keep their hands off young females. This was the reality still going on when Tina Turner was born (in Nutbush, TN) and coming up as a young woman. So she very well knew what sort of life Color Purple was portraying for Ceilie and the other women.

I

Wait a mknute... isn't Celie supposed to be a young woman? And wasnt Tina in her forties when the movie was made?

Love The Colour Purple, love Margaret Avery as Shug, love Tina Turner, love the supportive comments in this thread.

So many idiots in this thread. And dog whistles. Disgusting.

I couldn't agree more r33.

Spielberg cleaned up a lot of the original material (it's really rough) but left some of the bite.

I think it's a wonderful and underrated film.

Tina was to play Shug not Celie r32.

As for Tina, I can see why this would have been too hard to do given her background.

Getting really pissed off at the comments slamming Tina Turner. She's by far one of the nicest, kindest and most thoughtful people I've ever met. You assholes really know nothing about her. Nothing. Knock it off. You're just trying to create drama.

Fans are so adorable.

[quote]You assholes really know nothing about her. Nothing. Knock it off. You're just trying to create drama.