Oprah Winfrey 'desperate' to return to acting

Oprah Winfrey 'desperate' to return to acting

MUMBAI: The last time talk show queen Oprah Winfrey was seen acting was in the critically acclaimed but box office flop Beloved back in 1998. Now Winfrey is said to be interested in reviving her acting career.

She recently acted in a skit of the ABC hit show Desperate Housewives on her talk show.

Winfrey said, "I thought I was done with my acting days. But I loved being part of Desperate Housewives so much that I am thinking that I might do something else soon." The show's creator Mark Cherry who won a Golden Globe last week said that he would be willing to write again for Winfrey.

Meanwhile Winfrey has produced a television movie of her favourite love story. She has adapted the 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston called Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Oscar-winner Halle Berry plays Janie Crawford, whose search for fulfillment takes place in Central Florida. The film will air on ABC on 6 March. Winfrey, who is promoting the movie on her talk show, met with America's TV critics a few days ago. She said, "I love, love, love this book. Other than The Colour Purple I've never loved a book as much.

"It's important for us to see African-Americans in a light that allows not only the history and legacy of the culture, but to show love. That's often not seen in a way that people can relate to."

Berry was quoted in a report in Indystar saying that she felt a lot of pressure about the role because many of the book's fans have warned her not to mess it up. It has become required reading in many colleges and high schools.

Shooting was put off twice to accommodate Berry's big-screen schedule. Filming took 33 days -- 31 in California and two in Central Florida -- while most TV movies average 18 to 22 days.