Magical Realism and How Does It Function In the World?: A Conversation with ‘The Color Purple’ Screenwriter Marcus Gardley

Experience the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond in The Color Purple. This bold new take on the beloved classic is directed by Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King, The Burial of Kojo) and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones. The screenplay is by Marcus Gardley (Maid, The Chi), based on the novel by Alice Walker and based on the musical stage play, book (of the musical stage play) by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.

The latest adaptation of The Color Purple is moving, transcending and is screenwriting-storytelling wizardry. The power of storytelling is a beautiful thing, especially when it leaves a lasting impression, making you really think about every single thread of character to plot and the rhythm that keeps it going.

And as we all say in the biz, it all starts on the page. And in this case, it started as a novel written by Alice Walker, later adapted as a film directed by Steven Spielberg, and many years later transformed into the award-winning Broadway musical. Writer and storytelling aficionado Marcus Gardley was handed a big responsibility when taking on the musical adaptation for the big screen, and he delivered, and then some. 

Screenwriter Marcus Gardley recently spoke with Script about the adaptation process, the important element of scene transitions, his North Star for Celie, how writing in different mediums has made him a stronger writer, and so much more!

This interview has been edited for content and clarity.

Sadie Dean: Well, first off, congrats on this beautiful film. Diving right in, I'd love to talk about the adaptation process in terms of adapting it from the book, and screenplay to the stage play musical. And then adding your own spin and perspective on this story, of course, no pressure. [laughs]

Marcus Gardley: [laughs] Well, obviously, the adaptation was a bit daunting, because there's the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, the Broadway musical, and the Spielberg film. And there's an audience that loves, if not all those iterations, most of them, and they want their scenes. [laughs] They want the nostalgic experience. And so, I had to make sure that we were giving them that, but also that the film was its own thing - that it could stand by itself. And it was hard, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, that for some reason creatively, when you have more rules…I think what I struggle with the most is when I have 30 ideas, right? But here it was like, ‘OK, well, I know I have to work within this parameter. So, what could I bring to it that made it its own unique thing?’ And that's when I really started to think honestly about Toni Morrison and magical realism and how does it function in the world? And what would these characters do and say, if I was just a voyeur and I just happen to be hiding behind a tree watching them. And that's how I arrived at this adaptation, which I'm quite proud of.

Sadie: Yeah, I actually love that you bring up Toni Morrison. This reminded me a lot of her book Song of Solomon and how you see that world and peeking from behind a tree and just watching this happen. And then there’s the use of music, which is just phenomenal in how you're breaking up these time jumps with musical cues of the time from gospel to jazz and utilizing that as a barometer of where we are in the world through Celie's point of view.

Marcus: Thank you, you know, so funny, that's my favorite book, Song of Solomon. And before she passed away, she gave me the rights to adapt it. And so, I'm hoping that's my next adventure.

Sadie: Oh, my God. That’s amazing. All right, crossing fingers. Putting all the good stuff out there that it happens.

Marcus: Thank you. Fingers and toes. [laughs]

Sadie: [laughs] Fingers, toes, everything. Another element that really stood out to me was your scene transitions. And I'm so curious if this was also written on the page, or a process of collaboration with your amazing director Blitz Bazawule. I keep going back to the top of the movie, the scene where Celie and her sister Nettie are reminiscing about their mother. And then it goes to this needle prick. And then it cuts to Celie's water breaking – there’s like this really great rhythmic pulse that you have in there that you're using for each of these scenes and going into these musical numbers. How did you land on that element?

Marcus: Oh, I love this question so much. So that's one of my favorite elements in the script and in the film. I guess what I was going for there is this idea that we always live with our history - that our history, we carry it with us. And that it could be a crutch, or it could be armor. What we never see in the previous iterations is you never get a sense of who her mother was. And so, I knew it had to be subtle. But I really wanted to sort of establish the idea that her mother taught her how to sew, and that's how I ended up with the seeing in the mirror, and the prick and even in the cut into her water breaking was like this idea that we tried to thread, no pun intended, through the whole film, which is that pain and perseverance go hand in hand. So, in a moment where she is talking to her sister, and they're remembering their mother, and the next second she's giving birth.

There's another moment with the sister, she talks to her about the discovery of Africa - her teacher talks to her about Africa - they descend from Queens and all that. And then a second later, she's whisked away from her sister. So, it's like always these moments of pain and perseverance go hand in hand. And I think that's what I really gathered from the novel that Alice Walker was really talking about. And she exemplifies it in the notion of the color purple, which is rare and beautiful. But color purple is also the color of bruises. There's always this dichotomy happening in our work where we live with both things every day.

Sadie: Whether we like it or not.

Marcus: That's right. So true. [laughs]

Sadie: I'd love to talk about your writing process in terms of just finding your north star specifically for Celie and her emotional journey and growth until that last scene. What were you what was your guiding light and just making sure she got there in a very graceful way and also not so graceful way?

Marcus: Yes, I love this question as well. You know, the tricky thing with writing, and particularly writing Celie is I had to write it in a way which I was making the discovery too. I'm so familiar with the book – it’s one of my favorite books, I’ve watched the musical 1,000 times and also the Spielberg film. And so, when I was crafting the screenplay, I really was trying to find moments in which we were surprised by her, moments which we talked for just a half second, that this story will go in a different way, have a different journey. I didn't do a lot of outlining, because I wanted to be surprised, even in the writing of it. And that it needed to delve more into her inner world, that we needed to understand who she was not just in the public scenes, but in the private scenes, in the scenes that weren't happening in her mind and in her heart. Who is she dreaming about? What is she singing about? This Celie is an incredible seamstress, but also an incredible cook, and also a dear friend. And that's what I really derived from the book. That's what I really wanted to depict in this film.

Sadie: All these characters is so wonderful, from Mister, to Sofia, and Shug, and obviously the actors playing these roles. In terms of fleshing out those characters, and how they support this world for Celie, what was the process behind that and breaking those stories for them? But also, I'm curious, once this cast was in place, did you ever have to go back to the script and like refine those voices?

Marcus: Yeah, thank you for this question. The first thing, as previously mentioned, it was really just nailing Celie down and making sure she was central, and that everything is sort of orbiting around her. And then once I did that, I realized, OK, this is actually a story about these three women. And so I did my Sofia pass and my Shug pass. There's a scene with them at the funeral, that's one of the very few scenes with just those three, but really establishing them as friends and as a cohort. And then once I did that, then it was the task at hand - how to complicate these men? In reading the book, that was definitely a journey for Mister. Definitely a journey for Harpo and several other men in the book as well.

And so that was one of the mandates when I got the job was making sure that we complicate Mister, and complicate Harpo - that Harpo is the new man. He represents the future, he's rejecting some of the terrible things his father has been passed down, and that has been passed down to his father. And that was really important to show that, but also show that in a lot of ways. Mister is a product of his circumstance. And that if he could change, any of us can change. Change is possible for any of us, right? That he's such a…I guess the best word would be sinister character at the time. It’s really one of the challenges for me and I didn't accomplish it in the first couple of drafts, it took several drafts to really figure out how to earn the moment where he is forgiven from Celie, how to really earn that, but also how to do it in a subtle way.

And so, one of the amazing things was this discovery of the banjo, and that the banjo really becomes his extension. All these characters are singing with their voice, but Mister has this instrument. And in this instrument, he's expressing his pain and sorrows. And so even though it may not feel like we're starting to understand his inner world, we are seeing it. And it is affecting us as an audience member. 

And then later on, I think because of that, it's the iconic moment with him when he's leaving the jukejoint, he tried to play the banjo. And then he kind of is caught in the rain and realizes that he's been cursed. And then you never see the banjo again. And so, the banjo really is a symbol of this pain that he's carrying around. And Oprah always described the banjo…she says it's perfect because for her she doesn't like the sound of the banjo, she thinks it’s a horrible sound. [laughs] So he's carrying this pain with him and his anger. And when he releases that, and let's go he's able to actually become someone that we can love, someone that we can welcome to the table.

Sadie: Yeah, he's definitely the most unlikable likable character. And I'm still trying to find space for him and forgive him for what he did to Celie and her sister. It's such a beautiful moment when he gets her to come back. But I'm like, ‘but it's all your fault!’

Marcus: [laughs] It's so true. And I'll be honest, when they first asked, ‘we're going in this direction’ I actually recoiled. I was not in favor of his redemption story. And then it was only, when, as you mentioned, during the several passes of writing the script, and I started to realize that it had to be this way, and it's in the book. But the movie has to do this.

Sadie: Yeah, it has to work and it does work. I love the whole symbolism with the banjo too, because that is such a big, big thing for that time of just how word traveled and stories traveled. And as annoying as the banjo is, it is so essential.

Marcus: [laughs] Absolutely, absolutely. I forgot about that. Yeah, people used to tell stories when they're playing it. It's definitely sort of like a conjuring instrument.

Sadie: Exactly. I am curious in terms of your writing process and style, having written for TV, how much of that pressure of telling stories with an allotted amount of time, just getting things done, has influenced writing this screenplay? Especially with the pacing, getting to the next scene and just making the story move, because obviously, I wish you guys had 10 hours to tell this story, but you only have so much time - any techniques or anything that you learned along the way that found its way into writing this feature?

Marcus: Oh, I love this question, too. It's interesting, because, you know, 20 years writing plays, people have always said to me, your plays are cinematic. And you should really try your hand in writing screenplays. And I thought, ‘No, I'm a theatre artist, this is where I belong, I'm gonna stay here.’ And when I got into it, I kind of evolved into TV first, and I have done several TV shows. And actually the surprise is my playwriting got better by learning skills that I learned in television writing. And it's what you mentioned, it's the seamlessness. It's like, how do you get to your point? How do you be concise? Ways in which you depict long periods of time with shorter scenes? How can you tell a story through visual elements? All of that I learned in TV.

And so, I thought, well, I'm learning all this, and my plays are getting better. I really need try my hand at screenwriting, because I think maybe even my TV scripts, and my plays will improve and sure enough, I got for the first time really, the freedom to really express myself visually. And I've always felt like that was my natural place. That's kind of where I belong, where I'm strongest. And so, I knew that the film needed to cover a long period of time, but it couldn't feel like Cliff Notes, right? It couldn't feel these short things were just like a whole bunch of exposition coming at us at full speed. And so, it really was like trying to find those quiet moments, those moments that may or may not have dialogue, and if it is it's very terse, and then really looking at what can we learn about the characters through just gesture?

One of the things that I'm so proud of and really the actors and the director found this, but there are moments, let me give you an example, so one of the iconic lines from the Spielberg film is Shug looks at Celie for the first time and says, "You show us ugly." And I remember writing that in the script, and I was like, ‘I have to keep this line because if I don't, I'm walking down the street people attack me.’ [laughs] People are very serious about this movie and this adaptation. 

But on set, the actors felt like they could make the moment even more profound, just visually using their face. And so, you see Taraji [P. Henson], look at Celie in a way, where it's all on her face that she described it. So, what we're doing - two things are happening - one, we are honoring the moment, but two, we're making the moment our own. And there's quite a few moments like that in the film that the actors really embraced. And I think it's quite remarkable. But it was another moment where I was learning the power of gesture, and the power of what can you do with just the visual.

Sadie: I love that. It's like with silent films, that's what you had to work with, right?

Marcus: That's right.

Sadie: And when you have remarkable talent like this, just let them let them do their thing.

Marcus: That's right. And that's what I love most about artists collaborating. Actors are not puppets, let them be a part of the creative process. And they always find rich, inspiring things.

Sadie: Absolutely. It's always all in service to the story. And that's all you can ask for. Taking a step back, I would love to hear about your just your writing journey. What inspired you to become a writer, and then find your way into Hollywood?

Marcus: It's so funny, I don't remember not writing. And when I think back to my oldest memories, I was writing then, even it was like short stories, or I used to write little plays, and I never forget it. I think it was third grade, I wrote a short story and put all my class members and my teachers in it. And I remember reading it, my teacher was impressed. And she asked me to read it to the class. And what I did was every time I mentioned a student's name, I would put an adjective in front of it. So, if it was like, Johnny, it would be "Jumping Johnny." But it was because everybody knew Johnny was always jumping. And so, when I was reading it in the class, and when people couldn't wait for their name to be called, and when their name was called, everybody laughed, but I saw the joy on that person's face and I thought, ‘This is true magic. I want to do this with my life.’ Because if I could give people three seconds of joy, just by saying their name, and describe what we already knew about them, what can make me happier?

And so, I became a writer in that moment, I still distinctly remember it, and have been writing ever since. And I just gravitated into the theater because it was the one where the artists, the playwright is at the center of the art form. And I love that control. I love being able to sort of control every aspect of the creative process in theater especially when I was teaching. I was at Brown teaching screenwriting and my students said to me, ‘You always encouraged us to go to LA and try writing in TV, you should do it.’ And I was on sabbatical the following year. So, I said, ‘You know what, I can take their advice.’ And so, I did. 

And it's so funny. My best friend was getting married. And I was sitting next to a TV producer, and he said, ‘I hear you're a good writer, pitch me something.' We were both drinking. [laughs] The wedding was at a vineyard; we were having a lot of wine. [laughs] And I pitched a crazy, crazy idea. And he was like, ‘We gotta go pitch that to NBC.’ That was a very Hollywood thing. I'm thinking, ‘This guy's crazy. I'm gonna get on a plane and go back home.’ And that morning, he called me he said, ‘What are you doing? I'm outside your hotel.’

Sadie: Wow!

Marcus: And I was like, ‘What?!’ He's like, ‘Yeah, we're gonna go and pitch this to NBC.’ And we did and they bought it – it was a crazy, crazy two days. And I just loved pitching. I kind of just loved sitting in that room and telling a story, it took me all the way back to the third grade, where I was telling stories and making people laugh. And, and so I said, ‘Oh, my God, this is the next step in my journey.’ And so, I did 11 seasons of TV, and then graduated and now into filmmaking. It's all been sort of connected. It's all been about learning, but also not afraid to try new things.

Sadie: Speaking of audiences, because that is such a big thing in filmmaking, and I think a lot of writers forget that the intention is for people to watch what you’re writing at some point - what do you hope audiences take away from watching this, your version of this story and this film?

Marcus: I love this question. There are two things, I think people are hesitant about one, which is the Spielberg film is iconic, why would you remake that film? And then the second thing I think that people are nervous about is, do I really want to watch a sad story during the holidays? Do I really want to watch something that's going to bring me down? And I would say to those that are hesitant that this is actually a story about joy and resilience. And that it is actually not the Spielberg film. I mean, it's definitely an homage, I feel like in some ways to Spielberg, but it's definitely its own thing. That this is a film about that not only has music and magical elements, but that there is something raw and honest about it, that feels like it's really hard to remake anything, but when you can adapt something, and it stands on its own, while honoring the thing that previously came, that's when I think you're making something really powerful, that's what adaptations are at its best. And that's what I feel like we've made here.

And I just want people to know that you will leave the theater inspired. You will leave the theater, laughing, and crying. You will leave the theater understanding that this resilience, this power that exists in these women exists in all of us, and that there's power in forgiveness. I hope people leave with a deeper understanding and an appreciation for forgiveness and showing compassion to one another.

Sadie: Yeah, absolutely. I hope so too and who knows, maybe banjo sales will go up and Oprah will be annoyed by all of it, but the stories will keep going. [laughs]

Marcus: [laughs] That's right. Banjo sales increase, we all win.

Sadie: For those that are curious about or maybe are just starting out in writing an adaptation, any advice you have from maybe something you learned during your writing journey, or something you wish you would have known before stepping into this medium?

Marcus: Oh, thank you so much for this question. I think the most important thing that I've learned, and that I continually try to do is write every day. I think we as writers sometimes forget that writing is a muscle - the act of writing…it's exercise, the more you write, your writing will improve. And so, I try every day to give myself two to three hours to just sit down and write whatever comes to mind. It doesn't also have to be sitting in front of a computer and typing or even, you know, writing in a notebook that you can write just by lying down and thinking and crafting with your brain. And so, the number one advice I can give to writers is to give yourself every day some time to write and train that brain muscle to craft, and the more you do that your writing will improve.

And then the last thing I will say is that I find that the most important thing is about the journey, not the result. I'm so privileged that every day I get to sit down and write, and that I'm paid to do that. And I don't take it lightly. I know some people are like, ‘Well, you need these awards or these nominations,’ or the goal is to get these people to like you or to get this movie out there. But I think just living in the moment and appreciating that you have the talent to write, everything else will come to you after that. But acknowledging that and trying to live in that space as long as possible, there's nothing richer than that. There's nothing richer than that experience. 

The Color Purple is set to open in theaters in North America on December 25, 2023 and internationally beginning January 18, 2024.