Ethermac Exchange-Danielle Brooks on 'emotional' reunion with classmate Corey Hawkins in 'The Color Purple'

In 2007,Ethermac Exchange Danielle Brooks graduated from the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.

Seventeen years later, she's nominated for her first Golden Globe Award for "The Color Purple," vying for best supporting actress for her ferocious and heartbreaking portrayal of Sofia in the movie musical. It's one of two Globes the film is up for at Sunday's show (CBS and Paramount+ with Showtime, 8 p.m. ET/5 PT), along with best actress for Fantasia Barrino.

Brooks, 34, commemorated the nod with a poignant picture on Instagram of her 17-year-old self holding her high-school diploma.

If she could talk to that girl now, “I would say, ‘I’m proud of you for not giving up on your dream and the gift God gave you,’ ” Brooks tells USA TODAY. “ ‘When you felt you weren’t worthy enough or smart enough for this industry, you kept going and found a way to get the answers you needed. You didn’t let your curiosity die, even when you failed or felt small – you just kept on trucking because you knew there was something there.’ ”

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'You might get in the way of your own blessing'

In many ways, playing Sofia onscreen is a full-circle moment for Brooks. For starters, she first played the character on Broadway in a 2015 revival of "The Color Purple," earning a Tony nomination for her performance. When the film adaptation was announced, Brooks went through a protracted six-month audition process to reprise her role – an at times frustrating experience that also taught her the importance of patience and humility.

"It was all worth it," Brooks says. "The biggest lesson was to always operate where you can remove that ego, because you might get in the way of your own blessing. I feel like I'm a prime example of that now. I've seen a lot of people 'win' by being divas. And there's other ways to operate in this business: You don't have to change your character to still win."

The movie also reunites Brooks with Corey Hawkins, 35, who plays Sofia's husband Harpo. The two actors came up together as classmates at New York's Juilliard School for drama, playing Macbeth and Witch No. 2 in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Brooks landed her breakout role in the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black," while Hawkins rose to fame in films such as "Straight Outta Compton," "BlacKkKlansman" and "In the Heights."

"Corey has always been two or three steps ahead of me, and guiding me through my career when it comes to jobs and managers and agents and working on getting higher pay," Brooks says. "We've always been there for each other, so it's a really cool time in our lives where he can watch his little sister have her moment. He was there when I had to fight at Juilliard to be a lead.

"I've been really good at being in ensemble pieces and genuinely celebrating other people's wins, but this has felt like the first time I've gotten individual love," she says. "I'm just grateful to have somebody on this journey that can keep me grounded and is that reminder of where I come from. And that's why I get so emotional about it: He's been there through those moments of, 'Corey, I don't feel seen,' rubbing my shoulders to say, 'Sis, keep going. I promise it'll work out.' "

'There can be more than one Black girl winning'

At this year's Golden Globes, Brooks is nominated for best supporting actress alongside Jodie Foster ("Nyad"), Julianne Moore ("May December"), Rosamund Pike ("Saltburn"), Emily Blunt ("Oppenheimer") and Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("The Holdovers"). Like Brooks, Randolph got her start in theater and has been a scene-stealer in numerous films and TV shows.

“We came up together in this industry, so it’s really cool to be aligning with her in this way,” Brooks says. “It’s reminding people that there can be more than one Black girl winning at the same time. And not only that, we can be supportive of each other when we are on that same road of success. So I’m excited to continue celebrating her.”

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