Oprah Winfrey, Your Life Is Calling
Oprah Winfrey will play Richard Pryor’s whorehouse madam grandma in The Butler director Lee Daniels’ upcoming biopic of the legendary comedian. There was already a sorta Pryor biopic that Richard himself was involved in and it had the best title I’ve ever heard – JoJo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling. Lee and Oprah (and Mike Epps, who has been cast as Pryor) aren’t going to top that title.
That flick was an “inspired by” take on it, but this one will be the real thing. Pryor was actually raised in Nana Marie Carter’s brothel in Peoria, Illinois (anyone would be a comedian after that experience) and TMZ reports that Oprah is looking to play “gritty” this time because she’s already exhausted “inspiring,” “spiritual,” and “book club.”
I don’t think playing a lady pimp is going be challenge enough for Oprah. I want to see O play Richard! Imagine the only deity that matters playing Richard on the set of The Toy, wondering just what the fuck he was thinking? Imagine Oprah catching fire while trying to freebase? Imagine Oprah opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal as Gene Wilder filming See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)? (Wow, Richard went through some shit.)
Check out pics of O from the premiere of The Hundred-Foot Journey in NYC earlier this month below.
Pics: Splash