Fantasia Barrino may have lost-out on the chance to star in Dreamgirls, but the American Idol 3 winner will apparently get to show her acting abilities after all.
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The 22-year-old is joining the cast of Oprah Winfrey's Tony Award-winning Broadway show The Color Purple, according to a recent report from E! gossip columnist Marc Malkin. Fantasia will reportedly be playing the role of Miss Celie -- the abused young woman played by Whoopi Goldberg in Steven Spielberg's 1985 big-screen adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Fantasia will likely begin her role on Broadway in the spring, according to Malkin
"This is so great for her," a source told Malkin. "This is going to be so big. Oprah is making a big deal out of it."
According to Access Hollywood, Fantasia's The Color Purple news is expected to be the big "special announcement" that she'll deliver during her appearance on Thursday night's live broadcast of American Idol 6's first live results show
After winning the third season of the Fox reality competition series in May 2004, it was reported in October 2005 that actor Jamie Foxx wanted to have Fantasia star in the film adaptation of Broadway's Dreamgirls. However not even a month later, Idol 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson bested Fantasia for the role, and has since won a Golden Globe for best supporting actress and has been nominated for an Oscar for the same honor.
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Fantasia's self-titled R&B album, her second album, was released in December.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio