“Explosive Secrets, Royal Connections, and a Life of Pain: What Oprah Winfrey Told Me About Power, Race, and Her Shocking Personal Battles While Promoting The Butler”
“Explosive Secrets, Royal Connections, and a Life of Pain: What Oprah Winfrey Told Me About Power, Race, and Her Shocking Personal Battles While Promoting The Butler“
When you sit down with Oprah Winfrey, you’re not just interviewing a celebrity. You’re staring into the soul of a woman who has weathered storms that would break the strongest among us—and turned them into hurricanes of success.
In a glittering suite at Claridge’s Hotel in London, just days before The Butler’s UK release on November 15th, I sat across from the world’s most powerful media mogul. And what unfolded was not just a film promotion—it was a raw, unfiltered confession of power, pain, politics, and personal war zones.
“I Know What It Feels Like to Be Invisible.”
That’s how she started.
Oprah’s voice, usually resonant with calm authority, trembled slightly as she described the isolation she felt as a child. “I was raped at nine. Pregnant by fourteen. The baby died. People looked through me like I didn’t exist,” she whispered. “That pain? That feeling? I brought it to Gloria Gaines.”
Gloria Gaines, the character Oprah plays in The Butler, is the quietly resilient wife of a White House butler who served eight presidents. The film, directed by Lee Daniels, is an emotional ride through civil rights history and racial injustice.
Oprah didn’t act Gloria. She became her.
More Than a Movie: A Movement in Disguise?
“The Butler is not just a film. It’s a political statement. It’s an emotional reckoning,” Oprah declared. “And yes, it’s personal. Everything in that movie is something I’ve felt, heard, or lived through in some form.”
She talked about filming one of the most gut-wrenching scenes—when Gloria slaps her son for joining the Black Panthers.
“I wasn’t just slapping an actor. I was slapping every voice that ever told me I wasn’t good enough. I was slapping back at history.”
Obama, The Queen, and the Weight of Legacy
Our conversation veered into fascinating territory—Oprah’s real-life access to global power.
She spoke of President Obama with deep reverence. “The first time I met him, I saw not just a man, but every ancestor who dreamed of that moment.”
And yes, she mentioned Queen Elizabeth. “I met her once. She was gracious, commanding, and very, very sharp. There’s a strength in older women who’ve held onto power for decades. I admire that.”
“I Was Never Supposed to Be Here.”
There’s a moment in the interview where Oprah pauses, staring into the distance.
“I think about it sometimes. I was born to a teenage mother. Dirt poor. I was told I was ugly, unworthy, too dark, too loud. Statistically, I should be dead, addicted, or in prison.”
But instead, she became a billionaire.
The Butler, she says, is a tribute to the quiet warriors—the Black men and women who endured, who worked behind the scenes, who were never given a voice.
“This movie honors them. It honors me.”
On Lee Daniels and the “Fury” Behind the Camera
Oprah’s return to acting after a 15-year break wasn’t a soft glide. It was a dive into deep, uncomfortable truth.
“Lee Daniels doesn’t direct with words. He directs with wounds,” she said, her eyes flashing. “He will scream, cry, demand your pain on camera. That’s how he gets to truth.”
The shoot, she revealed, left her emotionally shattered for weeks. “There were days I came home and couldn’t speak. I’d just curl up and cry.”
Critics, Oscars, and the Racism That Lingers
When asked about the Oscars buzz around The Butler, Oprah let out a soft chuckle.
“Do I want it? Sure. Who doesn’t want recognition for hard work? But I also know the game,” she said, her smile fading.
“There’s still bias. Still people who think I’m ‘too much’—too loud, too rich, too Black. But I’m not shrinking for anybody.”
She slammed recent critics who dismissed her performance as “overly emotional.”
“What do you want? A robot? I’m a Black woman telling a Black woman’s story. Emotion is not a crime.”
The Future of Oprah: President, Prophet, or Power Broker?
I had to ask. Would she ever run for office?
The answer was swift and sharp: “No.”
But then she leaned in, eyes twinkling: “I already have power. More than a lot of politicians. I speak. People listen. That’s enough.”
She’s not wrong. A single Oprah endorsement can change election results. Her book club can make or break careers. Her interviews create global headlines.
Final Thoughts from a Queen Without a Throne
As our time came to an end, Oprah grew quiet.
“People see the empire. The money. The magazine. The show. But I hope The Butler reminds them—I was once a little girl no one wanted. And I made them see me.”
She stood up, hugged me (yes, Oprah hugs like a priest giving a benediction), and whispered: “Tell them this—there’s nothing more dangerous than a woman who knows her worth.”
And just like that, she was gone.
Baz Bamigboye | Daily Mail Showbiz Editor
November 13, 2013 (republished for UK release of The Butler)
The Butler opens in UK cinemas Friday, November 15. Don’t miss it.
