Whoopi not wanted for

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

I watched "Oprah's Master Class" Sunday night with Whoopi Goldberg. After her discussion about "The Color Purple". She said that she heard about a bunch of Black actresses were auditioning for a film. She called her manager and asked him about it, he told her that the producers originally didn't want her because they thought that she would "bring people out of the film". She went on to make "The Long Walk Home" and three weeks into shooting she received a called from Jerry Zucker saying that he and Patrick Swayze were coming to meet with her about the film. Swayze asked her why she has turned down the part, and then after some improvising with him she was told she had the part. I cannot even imagine who else could have played this part.

[SNAFU]

Whoopie was that movie! I cannot imagine it ever being a success with out her.

[ucjrdude902]

I LOVE "Master Class" and the Whoopi episode proved why it needs to be more than an hour.

[Playbilly]

What I love about Whoopi's career choices is that she isn't afraid to take chances. Supporting roles, late night TV talk show, supporting roles on Star Trek Next Gen. So many actors would say, "I'm a movie star, I can't do that".

[madbrian]

The way I recall Whoopi's take on getting the part in Ghost, Swayze was absolutely pivotal.

[Borstalboy]

Whoopi's career was pretty much dead in the water when GHOST came along.

[SNAFU]

Ghost was first, then Siste Act? Guess I am just too lazy to Google.

[trentsketch]

Yes. Sister Act came after Ghost.

[SNAFU]

Yeah, just looked it up. Ghost predated Sister Act by almost 3 years. She has made some very Brilliant Career choices! She really is one very smart woman! I do admire her so much.

[StageManager2]

Whoopie was that movie! I cannot imagine it ever being a success with out her.

The film would've still been a hit without her. As someone else said, Whoopi's career was on the downslope around this time (1990), and she hadn't had a hit since Jumpin' Jack Flash in '86. No surprise then that she took a guest-starring role in the popular Star Trek: TNG. Not to mention, she was also starring in the short-lived sitcom, Bagdad Cafe, at a time when television was a downgrade for a movie star. So she wasn't sought out for Ghost, and Patrick Swayze had to fight on her behalf to get the part. She even thanked him in her Oscar speech for refusing to do the movie without her.

Anyhoo, Ghost revitalized her career, not the other way around. It was the tragic love story (a la Titanic) that touched the public, and Swayze and Moore's pottery scene became instantly iconic (a la Titanic's bow scene). The film went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year, nominated for 5 Oscars (including Best Picture) and winning two (Best Actress, Best Screenplay), but it was not all because of Whoopi though she became a highlight.

[CarlosAlberto]

Whoopi won for Best SUPPORTING Actress.

[finebydesign]

To me it seems like every time a film is revisited we hear these stories of woulda/shoulda/coulda been cast. Shirley Temple for Dorothy for instance.