The Color Purple Leads NAACP Image Award Nominations

The film version of Broadway's The Color Purple may not have gotten a lot of Oscars love, but it's overwhelmingly leading nominations for the 2024 NAACP Image Awards with 16 nods. Winners will be revealed via streaming presentations debuting March 11-14 and a televised ceremony airing on BET and CBS March 16.

And, that awards love passed down to its cast of (mostly) Broadway alums as well. Fantasia Barrino picked up a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance as Celie. In the supporting acting categories, nods went to Colman Domingo for his performance as Mister, Corey Hawkins for his Harpo, Danielle Brooks for her Sofia, Halle Bailey for her Young Nettie, and Taraji P. Henson for her Shug Avery. Broadway The Lion King alum Phylicia Pearl Mpasi also got a nomination for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for her work as Young Celie, and the entire company was nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture.

The film's other nominations included Outstanding Breakthrough Creative for director Blitz Bazawule, Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation album for the film's soundtrack, Outstanding Original Score for TV/Film for composer Kris Bowers, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for screenwriter Marcus Gardley, Outstanding Costume Design for Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, Outstanding Make-up (for Carol Rasheed, Saisha Beecham, Ngozi Olandu Young, Manny Davila, and Milene Melendez), Outstanding Hairstyling (for Lawrence Davis, Tym Wallace, Andrea Mona Bowen, Angela Renae Dyson, and Jorge Benitez Villalobos), and Outstanding Motion Picture.

Broadway names, in fact, did very well with this year's nominations generally, Color Purple aside. The Entertainer of the Year category is dominated by Broadway alums, with Domingo, Barrino, Usher, and Keke Palmer getting nods alongside Bailey. Also getting nominations: Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright (Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture); Bailey (Actress in a Motion Picture, for The Little Mermaid); Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture); Ariana DeBose and Brian Tyree Henry (Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance); Kerry Washington (Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series); Sheryl Lee Ralph (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series); Forest Whitaker and Jesse L. Martin (Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series); Wendell Pierce (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series); Henry, Courtney B. Vance, and Samuel L. Jackson (Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series, or Dramatic Special); Don Cheadle (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series, or Dramatic Special); Micheala Jaé Rodriguez (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series, or Dramatic Special); and Whoopi Goldberg (Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information Series or Special).