Here's How Whoopi Goldberg Got To Play a Part In a Movie Because She Stormed Out of Her House

In a recent interview with Page Six, director Mario Van Peebles talks about how Whoopi Goldberg bagged a role in Outlaw Posse. The movie which is set in the Wild West of 1908, is based on the courageous story of postal courier Stagecoach Mary, played by Goldberg. The movie, which was written, directed, and starred Van Peebles, centers on cowboy Chief (Van Peebles), who must fend off a jealous lawman while rallying a group of outlaws to recover stolen riches.

Interestingly, Peebles revealed in the interview that he wasn't the one to cast Goldberg in his film. He said, "I did not cast Whoopi. Whoopi cast herself. I was directing a show on the [Hulu drama] Wu-Tang: An American Saga in New Jersey, and this neighbor came over all irate yelling, ‘Who is making all that racket,’ and it was Whoopi." He further added, "When she realized I was directing, I asked her what do you want to do next and she said, ‘I want to do a Western’ and I said ‘I’m getting ready to do a Western." Peebles added that he had to pay her for the job however, Goldberg did it 'for the right reasons'. 

He continued, "I have my own rule when it comes to casting for a movie: No matter who or what the person is… if we were all at camp and we were twelve years old, would I wanna play with you? If the answer is yes — ‘She will be fun to play with! — then, yes, you are in the movie." Outlaw Posse, which is set in 1908, stars Peebles as Chief, an ex-soldier who was formerly enslaved and is out to retrieve a gold stockpile that the Confederates had concealed during the latter stages of the Civil War.

Though Chief and his allies feel obligated to address more recent injustices committed against Black and Native people by white assailants, they are primarily drawn to the treasure to make amends to the once-enslaved people who were never given the 40 acres and a mule they were promised.

The character Goldberg portrays worked as a labor forewoman at a convent, a tavern owner, and a chambermaid, doing numerous jobs that were deemed "men's work" at the time. At sixty years of age, she entered the Old West's history as a postal carrier, carrying packages across Montana's perilous badlands by stagecoach. She was known as 'Stagecoach Mary' for her courage and constant devotion to her work.

She used the Smith & Wesson revolver she carried hidden under her apron to fend off wolves and robbers. One of the most intriguing characters from the Wild West, she has been in several movies and television shows, such as Hell on Wheels, Hannah's Law, and The Cherokee Kid. Zazie Beetz played her in the 2021 movie The Harder They Fall, which included her most current portrayal.