ILOSM fam’ we wanna share an interesting behind the scenes Old School fact that happened on the set of the 1985 cult classic, The Color Purple. This said fact comes by way of none other than ‘young Celie’ herself- actress, Desreta Jackson. We all remember her, right? She touched our hearts as we watched her character get psychologically and physically abused by her older husband, “Mister Albert” (Danny Glover). Well, little did we know at that time, Danny Glover made Desreta cry real tears in real life, during the filming of the movie and she broke it down for all of us…
Desreta Jackson Was Living With Struggles In Real Life & On Set
We Didn’t See This Coming And Apparently, Neither Did Desreta Jackson
In a lengthy online post, Desreta revealed that Danny Glover slapped the hell outta her while filming. She started with: “True [Film] Fact: Danny Glover slapped me for real in the scene where my sister, Nettie, was teaching me to spell.”
Her First Reaction To Danny Glover’s Slap Was Confusion, But Then
Desreta: “My reaction was laced with confusion because I didn’t know if I should stop or continue acting but then I remembered my training taught me to never stop the scene.”
Real Tears Started To Flow
Desreta’s confusion turned into sadness: “So I controlled my emotions and used it in the scene. Real tears started running down my face and I was really lost and sad as to why he would actually hit me.”
That’s when director, Steven Spielberg, jumped in…
Spielberg Yelled “Cut”…And Questioned Danny Glover
Desreta: “I carried on with the scene and when Steven [Spielberg]said cut he came up to Danny and asked him, “Did you hit her for real?”
Glover Sincerely Apologized To Desreta & Here’s Where They Are Now
DJ: “Yes, Danny [apologized]…I didn’t take it offensive it was part of the work and we are friends till this day.”