Oprah's reaction to the new film '12 Years a Slave' moves director Steve McQueen

Oprah Winfrey has always been very open about her belief in acceptance for all people and is a strong advocate for equal rights.  Her role in The Butler brought her to a whole different decade, and her performance was really stellar. Now she's voicing how pleased she is with the fact that slavery and civil rights are currently getting deserved exposure, in addition to her film, with 12 Years a Slave.

Discussing the Steve McQueen film, in theaters now, brought Winfrey to tears during an interview. She told BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz, "It's impossible for me to talk about it," she said. "I can't even talk about it. Devastating."

McQueen spoke to E! News about Winfrey's reaction: "It feels great coming from Oprah," he said. "It's a big deal that she felt that way...It's one of those things when you make your work and you see the icons speak about it. It's surreal."

Winfrey explained why her film The Butler also had an important impact. "I recognize the importance of knowing who you are and where you come from," she said. "I thought it was an important story for our time and particularly for young people who won't read the history."

The media mogul has a true passion for acting, despite her role as the television icon everyone knows. "It gives me the kind of pleasure that I can't get from anything else, because I get to leave the business of being Oprah," she told Gompertz. "For so many years, I was just Oprah."

12 Years a Slave stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt. It is the story of a black man in 1841 who was free, working as a carpenter to support his family, and is suddenly drugged and sold into slavery.