Why did the Color Purple cast have to ask for food and dressing rooms on set?

If the SAG-AFTRA strike this past summer taught us anything, it’s that the reality of working as an actor is rarely as glamorous as one might imagine. Even so, it’s still pretty jarring to hear about actors having to fight for basic necessities like food and dressing rooms on the set of a major studio film, especially one that does impressive numbers at the box office. This was, unfortunately, the experience of the cast of The Color Purple.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Taraji P. Henson claimed that she had to fight for “a lot of stuff” on the set of the Warner Bros. film. “They gave us rental cars, and I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous,” she said. “So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon.”

“They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody,’” she continued. “Well, do it for everybody! It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for.”

Henson wasn’t just fighting for herself. The Empire alum became a “guide” and a “voice box” for the entire cast as they contended with the frustrating conditions, said her costar Danielle Brooks during a Q&A hosted by The Hollywood Reporter. “I remember when we first came and we’re doing rehearsals, they put us all in the same space,” Brooks explained. “We didn’t have our own dressing rooms at the time. We didn’t have our own food…[Oprah] corrected it for us. [Taraji] was our voice. This was my first studio film. Sometimes you do come in saying, ‘Ok, I’ll take whatever they give me. I’m just happy to be here.’ But [Taraji] spoke up for us. [She] showed me how to do that.”

While some internet detectives guessed that the issues on set had caused a rift between Henson and Oprah, who produced the film, the latter denies anything of the sort. “People are saying that I was not supporting Taraji. Taraji will tell you herself that I’ve been the greatest champion of this film. Championing not only the behind-the-scenes projection but also everything that everybody needed,” Winfrey shared with Entertainment Tonight on last night’s Golden Globes carpet. “I’m not in charge of the budget because that’s Warner Brothers—you know that’s the way the studio system works.”

Representatives from Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story. Still, it is worth noting that The Color Purple was granted an approximately $90 million budget by the studio (per The New York Times), while Barbie, filmed at a similar time, received $145 million (per Screenrant). Additionally, The Color Purple was only given $40 million for marketing while Barbie received a whopping additional $150 million, covering that all-out press tour, couture outfits for its stars, the works. The point is: the money was there. No one should ever have to beg for basic necessities like food and a dressing room at their job.

But this is a bigger story than just The Color Purple or even Warner Bros., according to Henson. “It wears on your soul because you fight so hard to establish a name for yourself and be respected in this town to no avail. With Black films, they just don’t want to take us overseas and I don’t understand that. Black translates all over the world, so why wouldn’t the movies?” she said in the same New York Times interview. “I’m not the person that pulls the race card every time, but what else is it, then? Tell me. I’d rather it not be race, please give me something else.”