“I never heard of Steven. And my daughter took me to see E.T., so that I could be prepared. And I loved E.T. And when Steven appeared himself, I really loved him, as well. He was very open, knew what he was about, wanted very much to do this film. And we collaborated as much as possible. And I think we both feel very pleased, although in the beginning I didn’t like the film, because it just felt so outlandish. It’s very weird having a book of yours made into a film. Everything looks like a cartoon. But I got used to it, when I saw it in a theater with lots of people. The first time I saw it, there were only three people—me and my partner and a friend—in a huge theater that they had hired just to show me the film. And it just—it was strange.”
Speaking on the 30th anniversary of the release of The Color Purple, Alice Walker discusses her groundbreaking book and her reaction to Spielberg’s adaptation of it.
