Whoopi Goldberg is keeping it real about how she landed some of her most iconic roles—and it wasn’t always by design.
In a refreshingly candid interview featured in Apple TV+’s new documentary Number One on the Call Sheet, which celebrates Black trailblazers in Hollywood, the Oscar-winning actress opened up about how her path to stardom was paved not just with talent, but also with rejection… someone else’s.
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The 69-year-old legend, best known for The Color Purple, Ghost, and Sister Act, revealed that many of her early roles were the result of other big-name stars walking away from projects.
“You discover that you get what you get, and for me, I went and found stuff,” Whoopi explained.
She shared that part of her strategy was keeping an eye out for greenlit films where stars had dropped out, saying:
“I wanted to know what people were not gonna do. Things that they had greenlit and then said, ‘No, we’re not gonna do [it] ’cause the person dropped out.’”
And that’s when the roles came flooding in—roles that weren’t originally intended for her, but would go on to define her career.
“That’s how I got Jumpin’ Jack Flash, ‘cause Shelley Long wasn’t gonna do it,” Whoopi revealed.
“That’s how I got Burglar, ‘cause Bruce Willis wasn’t gonna do it. I got Fatal Beauty because Cher wasn’t going to do it. I got Sister Act because Bette Midler wasn’t going to do it.”
Each of these films became a stepping stone in Goldberg’s rise to Hollywood royalty, proving that what others passed on, she turned into gold.
One of the most heartfelt revelations came when she spoke about Ghost, the 1990 supernatural romance that earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
“Ghost, that wasn’t written for me either. But then Patrick Swayze said, ‘I want her.’ So that’s how I got Ghost.”
Whoopi’s honesty is a powerful reminder of the unseen hustle behind the Hollywood glitz. Her ability to seize opportunity—even when it came by chance—helped her break through an industry that wasn’t always opening doors for Black actresses.
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Now a beloved co-host on The View, Whoopi continues to use her platform to shine a light on the realities of the entertainment world—and this confession only reinforces her legacy as a woman who never waited for permission to shine.
Her message? Sometimes, the roles you weren’t supposed to have become the ones that define you.
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