Black History Month: Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost" (1990)
Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 3:11PM Our Black History Month through the lens of Oscar continues with abstew on Whoopi...
It took fifty-one years after Hattie McDaniel's historic win for Gone With the Wind (1939) for another black actress to hear her name called as the winner on Oscar night. Her successor scored an Oscar factoid of her own becoming the first black actress to score two Oscar nominations (thankfully, she is no longer alone with that distinction, having been joined by Viola Davis). Instead of prestigious talents along the lines of a Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, or Alfre Woodard, the honor went to a comedienne that took her stage name from a gag toy that makes fart sounds. Not exactly the typical Oscar winner, but that uniqueness has always been what defined Whoopi Goldberg as a performer and her Oscar win for playing medium Oda Mae Brown in the hit film Ghost (1990) is perhaps the quintessential Whoopi performance.
Born Caryn Johnson, Goldberg's first encounter with Oscar came for 1985's The Color Purple from director Steven Spielberg and based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winner. While performing in her one-woman show on Broadway, Goldberg was asked by Spielberg to play the lead, Miss Celie, in the film. She won the Golden Globe and became the 5th black woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, but she lost the Oscar that year to sentimental favorite Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful, who finally won her Oscar on the 8th try.
Goldberg had much better luck the second time around, but her Oscar-winning performance was almost not to be. [More...]
Goldberg has stated that an actress friend told her about the part in Ghost that apparently every black actress in Hollywood was dying to play. Goldberg called her agent and asked why she hadn't been asked to audition. She was told that she was too well-known and they were looking elsewhere. That reasoning didn't make a whole lot of sense since Tina Turner and Oprah were both up for the part (two women that were certainly a little more than "well-known"), but perhaps the implication was that Goldberg's films since The Color Purple hadn't exactly been hits at the box office.
It was her eventual co-star Patrick Swayze (who also had to fight for his part as Sam, the titular ghost) that asked the filmmakers to have Goldberg film an audition with him. Swayze felt that Goldberg was the only one that could play Oda Mae. He was right and the film ended up the second highest grossing film of the year, thanks in large part to Goldberg's crowd-pleasing turn. The film even scored 5 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning two for Goldberg in Supporting Actress and for the screenplay.
But her character was not without controversy. At that point, there had only been two black actresses to win Oscars, the first was a slave and the second, some felt, was another example of the stock "Magical Negro" archetype. But just as McDaniel was able to bring real humanity to Mammy, Goldberg, by infusing Oda Mae with her own live-wire personality, ably overcomes the film's shortcomings (none of the characters in the film are especially well-written). By embracing what it is that makes Whoopi such a singular personality, Oda Mae feels well-rounded. Whoopi brought her whole package as an actress, comedienne, and her very distinct humor (which has never shied away from touchy subjects, especially race) shines through. Oda Mae famously tells Sam that she needs to say things in her own way and Goldberg does the same. She takes the part as written and manages to give her Whoopi's voice.
And let's not forget - she is damn funny in the movie. Despite the now infamous potter's wheel scene between Swayze and Demi Moore ("Unchained Melody" has never been the same again, igniting the flames of horny soccer moms for 25 years now), once Goldberg shows up 40 minutes into the film, she breathe much needed comic life into the sappy proceedings and runs away with the entire film. Her scenes at the bank, decked out in flashy purple hat and suit while posing as Rita Miller ("I'm sorry, but, could I get another one? I... uh... signed the wrong name...Can I keep this pen? Thank you so much.") are the highlight of the film, a master class in comedic timing and delivery. And she's not just all laughs. Her huckster spiritualist does have a character arc, ironically ending up becoming what she had always falsely claimed to be. Wearily allowing her body to be used as a vessel, she opens herself to a deeper understanding of the spiritual world and of human connections.
The night of the Oscars, Goldberg was up against Annette Bening in The Grifters, Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas, Diane Ladd in Wild at Heart, and Mary McDonnell in Dances With Wolves, but having previously won the Golden Globe and BAFTA, she was the favorite to win. Despite her front-runner status, Goldberg was genuinely elated about her victory (she later admitted that she was also high fom smoking weed that night) and you can tell that winning the Academy Award really did mean something to her. She was back at the Oscars only three years later, but this time as the host of the ceremony. Making Oscar history again, she was the second black woman to host the awards show and the first woman to do it solo.
Her achievements didn't stop there. Goldberg is one of only 12 people (and the only black person) that has received all four of the major entertainment awards, called the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). And, yes, her Daytime Emmys count! Proving that Goldberg wouldn't be the awards magnet she is without a certain woman that came before her, she won her first Emmy for hosting a special called Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel.
Reader Comments (21)
I love Whoopi and i'm extremely glad that she has an EGOT though hopefully we'll have more black performers achieve such a unique distinction in the future. I'm much more partial to her performance in The Color Purple (she takes you places) but she was delightful in Ghost too.
Love Color Purple, but my favorite Whoopi is Boys on the Side.
Seeing the shade needle move on Angelica Huston's part only makes this win all the more memorable.
One of the all-time great acceptance speeches right there.
Whoopi wasn't the first black woman to host the Oscars, although she was the first (black) woman to do it solo. Diana Ross was one of the co-hosts of the 46th Academy Awards in 1974.
I love Whoopi so much. She's one of my idols honestly. At one point in the 90s she was the highest paid actress ever in Hollywood. That's a HUGE deal as not only a black woman, but a woman that really doesn't fit any mold you put her in. She's not the Halle Berry sexpot, or the dramatic force of Angela Bassett or Cicely Tyson, you know? She's got an interesting raspy voice, dark skin, natural hair (dreaded too), awful fashion sense, and is a comedienne with a wacky name. She's such a legend. I love her.
She should've won for The Color Purple, but I'm glad she won for Ghost. People hate on Ghost, but she really kills in it I think...hilarious and heartwarming by the end.
I do remember someone (Roger Ebert? not sure) saying that the film ruined what could've been a huge moment when she allows Patrick Swayze to use her body, but what the audience sees is Patrick and Demi embracing instead of Whoopi and Demi, which would've made a huge statement at the time. I agree. Would've been interesting.
I keep hoping she'll get another great role but it seems so unlikely at this point. She hardly acts at all anymore. She did just sign on to star in and exec produce a TV show though.
paul outlaw - thank you - corrected. i even looked through all of the hosts last night just to make sure. I must've skipped over ross' name...which is something miss ross would not be happy about, i'm sure
kai lor - right?! that anjelica houston shade is everything! guess she wasn't a GHOST fan.
philip - i miss whoopi in film as well. this, color purple, and sister act are just an amazing trio of films.
Out of the four acting winners that night Goldberg was already a movie star. For me her Oscar win remains an emotional one.
That was an very good line-up and Whoopi was a worthy winner (and later a great host).
P.S. Anjelica is not throwing shade. She always looks a bit arrogant on camera but I'm sure she was more than fine with that award.
Great post - just to clarify, until relatively recently (about fifteen years ago) the BAFTA awards took place after the Oscars.
What is the Huston shade about.
Fun question for everyone: who does everyone think will be the next black actress to join Whoopi and Viola as two-time nominees? Obviously Oprah was very close with The Butler, and if Fruitvale Station had actually gained traction like people thought it would, Octavia Spencer could've joined as well. So far, for Whoopi and Viola it's two nominations, one in supporting and one leading.
I could see Lupita getting nominated again... and honestly Octavia has been doing amazingly well, so much better than I thought she would, so she could totally be nominated again.
Someone like Cicely Tyson or Angela Bassett would be awesome though. But unlikely.
I have a polite theory on Huston's cold expression. Whoopi's win signaled a personal anxiety in her about the results of her category. Not only did she lose that night. She has yet to recover and receive a subsequent nomination.
Philip H.--It could be anyone. It all depends on the right role and the right time. But I think Taraji and Viola have the momentum behind them to land that role at this time. Alfre Woodard........would be nice,
5 best Whoopi performances: GO!!
it's nice to see someone genuinely excited at winning. lift your game, patty arquette
Phillip H -- my guess is its someone we haven't met yet or is just getting started because Hollywood moves on so quickly from actresses (and/or they move on for a steady paycheck on television) what if it's Gugu who got off to such an amazing start this past year?
Guys, it'll be Quvenzhané.
Kermit - I know usually the BAFTAs were held after the Oscars until 2001, but according to the internets, the BAFTAs were held March 17, 1991 and the Oscars were March 25, 1991 that year. but i did look it up before writing that and not sure why they happened before the Oscars that year...
Bhuray: 1. Ghost 2. The Color Purple 3. Sister Act 4. Corrina, Corrina 5. How Stella Got Her Groove Back
philip h - I think it actually could be oprah. she was so close with The Butler and so good in her small part in Selma. and she's gonna be in lee daniels' richard pryor biopic. it seems like she is looking for another nom...
Henry - I was thinking Taraji has some good heat building around her right now but she doesn't seem to get Oscar-y parts. And I forgot about poor Alfre! She was close herself, but snubbed for Passion Fish.
Nathaniel - You're right... and Gugu would be a good choice. I still think Octavia could be it though. Especially if that nurse biopic (forgot her name, whoops) is made.
Paul Outlaw - Funny, I just watched Beasts of the Southern Wild for the first time since I initially saw it in the theatre... one of the most beautiful films. Anywho, I wanted to laugh at that, but she totally could get a second nomination. It probably just won't be anytime soon.
abstew - Agreed, Oprah is a likely (and worthy) contender. I do wonder if Mo'Nique would've been nominated for The Butler if she had gotten the part, though.
Clearly I enjoy pondering this guys :P I'm just really rooting for our black actresses. As long as it isn't Jennifer Hudson.
If only we could say Academy Award nominated actresses Emayatzy Corinealdi & Adepero Odoye. If only...