Whoopi Goldberg reflects on historic Oscar win for Ghost

Whoopi Goldberg is reflecting on her historic Oscar win for playing the iconic Oda Mae Brown in Ghost, which earned her the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the 1991 Academy Awards. 

Goldberg, 65, not only became the first black woman to receive an Oscar in over 50 years when she won, but also, unknowingly at the time, was on her way to becoming the first black female EGOT winner (a term given to performers who have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony Award – which was conceived in a 2009 episode of 30 Rock.)

Appearing on the cover of Variety Magazine‘s Hollywood Royalty issue for an Oscars 2021 special, Goldberg revealed how her mother stayed home so she wouldn’t ‘jinx’ her chances, how she took her fellow nominees out for dinner afterwards, and what went into finding the right gown for the momentous occasion. 

‘I couldn’t look glamorous like other people look glamorous. I wasn’t thin and I wasn’t a white lady, so I had to find my own style,’ Goldberg told the publication. 

The actor opted for a black sequined column gown from veteran costume designer Nolan Miller, who had worked with Goldberg’s mentor and friend Elizbeth Taylor. 

Impressed with the end result, Goldberg told Variety looking back at her ensemble: ‘I looked really good. My hair was cool. Dress was cute.’

Watching her acceptance speech back during the interview, Goldberg noted that it was ‘great to see’ her brother Clyde Johnson (who died in 2015) and her daughter Alex Martin, 47. 

‘[I remember] just being happy to be there, get the speech out of the way and get off the stage,’ Goldberg explained, while also revealing that she took her fellow nominees out for dinner, including Annette Bening.

Goldberg added: ‘Any one of us could’ve taken it, and I don’t think anybody would’ve been mad at anybody else. Sometimes you look at actors and you know, ‘Oh, he’s mad,’ but with us, it was just ‘Whoever wins is paying, that’s all I know. Free food.”

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Goldberg touches upon the highs and lows of her movie career – particularly when she became Hollywood’s highest-paid female star for 1993’s Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, for which she received $12million. 

‘That lasted 25 minutes, and then it was gone. I’m really glad that I was one of the first to break that little ceiling or crack it,’ she revealed.

The star – who is now also a popular host of daytime show The View – teased the hotly-anticipated Sister Act 3 movie for Disney+, saying she would love for the some of the original cast members to come back, which included Lauryn Hill.  

She also spoke about her friendship with Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor who was a mentor to Goldberg and often gave her career advice.

Goldberg says in the interview that Taylor once told her: ‘You and I know you can do anything, but you are Black, so it’s going to be harder for folks to believe,’ adding: ‘It’s going to be up and down. If you have a way to see where you were, it will allow you to not give up in tough times.’