Chaka Khan Says She Turned Down Steven Spielberg for The Color Purple : 'Woulda Been Hot'

Chaka Khan wasn't interested in starring in The Color Purple.

During the iconic singer's appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show Friday, Khan, 69, couldn't help but laugh as she claimed that she turned down Steven Spielberg's offer to star in the classic 1985 film after Jennifer Hudson asked about projects Khan had declined over the years.

"Funny you should ask that," Khan said. "Well you know I turned down The Color Purple, the movie."

Khan's answer appeared to shock both Hudson, 41, and her audience. The Respect star exclaimed "What?" at Khan's answer, while a number of audience members could be heard gasping.

The performer struggled for a moment to remember Spielberg's name as she recalled the director asking her to play Celie, who Whoopi Goldberg wound up portraying in the movie.

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"Yeah, what's his name? The guy who did the original?" Khan asked, before remembering she was speaking of Spielberg.

"Yeah, he came to me and he said he wanted me to do this movie called The Color Purple," she told Hudson. "I was about — how old was I? — 20, 22 tops, and he [asked me if I wanted to be in] this movie."

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"And I said, 'What movie?' And he said, 'This movie called The Color Purple,' and he says, 'And it is a movie that is shot down south, it's about the south,' so I was like trying to run [from] that because I was afraid, I was like, 'Oh God, a movie, oh my God,' " Khan continued.

"I like detested school and tests and studying, you know, I said, 'Oh, that means I'd have to learn the script,' " she added.

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"Imagine Chaka Khan as Celie, y'all?" Hudson asked her audience after Khan revealed who Spielberg asked her to play.

"Woulda been hot," Khan replied.

"That would have been a whole other Color Purple," Hudson said.

The Color Purple, which starred Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey and Goldberg and was produced by Spielberg and Quincy Jones, received 11 nominations at the 58th Academy Awards.

Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Oprah Winfrey in the 1985 film adaptation of The Color Purple

Spielberg is currently producing a movie musical version of The Color Purple, which is adapted from the Tony-winning Broadway musical, starring Taraji P. Henson as the character Shug Avery, who was first played by Margaret Avery in the 1985 installment. The new movie is directed by Blitz Bazawule.

RELATED: Taraji P. Henson Calls Filming The Color Purple Movie Musical 'Empowering'

At CultureCon New York in October, Henson, 52, told audiences about the experience of starring in the movie musical and the importance of having representation behind the camera to bring the piece to life for the big screen.

"It was empowering," she said. "I think you guys are going to be experiencing The Color Purple for the first time from a Black perspective."

Henson added that producer Spielberg understood the importance of having a Black person tell the story. "You will see the differences right away," she told the CultureCon attendees. "That's why it's important for all you filmmakers, writers, up-and-coming producers and directors [to] tell our stories."