Oprah Winfrey: Acting in 'Greenleaf' a 'vacation from myself'

NEW YORK, May 27 (UPI) -- Oprah Winfrey, who will be acting in the upcoming mega-church drama Greenleaf, says acting is an opportunity to step out of herself for a while.

"Being able to act is a way to lose myself and really be submerged into the ideas and consciousness of someone else," the famed television star told Entertainment Weekly about her role as Aunt Mavis on the upcoming OWN series.

"Sometimes it's a relief, sometimes it's exhausting," she added.

Greenleaf is gearing up for a June debut on the Winfrey-owned network, and while she is also balancing the business side of the series, she has also worked to melt into her character. Aunt Mavis is the rivalrous sister of the Greenleaf family matriarch Lady Mae and the two often goes head-to-head in heated conversations during the show.

Aunt Mavis is played by actress Lynn Whitfield.

"I learned a lot about myself in the scene that Lynn and I had together," Winfrey explained. "And it's very different, because it's the exact opposite of being myself. My whole career has been founded on just being true to myself -- I'm one of the most blessed people in the world because I got paid a lot of money just to be myself -- and acting is the opposite of that."

"It's really very different," the global star continued, "and in many ways, for me, like a vacation...like a vacation from myself."

In April, Winfrey assured Greenleaf will not be "derogatory" toward religion in an attempt to settle potential qualms with the mega-church series. "Do you not think people in the church are flawed?" she instead suggested. "That's why they're going."

"I am not gonna do anything that is derogatory toward the church because I am of the church," she said at the time.

Greenleaf, which is set to premiere June 21 and June 22 and release new episodes on a weekly basis, also stars Keith David and Merle Dandridge.