Taraji P. Henson shared with Oprah Winfrey what she prayed for when she secured the role of Shug in The Color Purple.

In an exclusive clip from one of three upcoming OWN Spotlight specials about The Color Purple, Henson talked with Winfrey about the importance of fear in her work. She explained why her prayer specifically centered around grounding herself in who she is as a person.

“For me…I don’t pick a role unless it scares me because fear is something to overcome, and I will be transformed in a way,” she said. “And I’m transformed, then the audience will be. So it has to move me to a place of fear. If I’m not scared, then it’s like, maybe that’s too easy for me. It has to be challenging for me because I have to challenge the audience.”

Check out the clip below.

The special featuring Henson, airing Jan. 6 at 10/9c, is just one of the three specials centered around the actors from The Color Purple. The second featuring Fantasia Barrino will air Jan. 13 at 10/9c., and the third featuring Danielle Brooks will air Jan. 20 at 10/9c. In each special, the women will talk about what brought them to their characters and the lessons each actor learned, either throughout their lives, in preparation for the roles, or as they played their roles.

Fantasia, for instance, talks about how she learned about the power of forgiveness from playing Celie and why she believes women, men and families as a whole will be healed after watching the film. Brooks talks about a life-changing Broadway trip when she was a teenager, how she feels God prepared her for the role and how she removed fear and disbelief from her life as performed as Sophia. All three women discuss how the film centers around sisterhood, particularly the sisterhood the cast created among themselves.

Also, watch our Shadow and Act interviews for The Color Purple below: