Whoopi Goldberg Talks ‘Ghost’ 30th Anniversary & ‘True Power’ Of Beloved Film

Whoopi Goldberg talked about the 30th anniversary of the feature film Ghost in a new interview with Deadline, discussing in-depth some of the most overlooked aspects of the blockbuster 1990 release, as well as what she believed was the “true power” of the production.

The article reported that the moderator of ABC’s The View reached out to Deadline in response to comments made about the film in a story published in Forbes. A writer for Forbes called Ghost the “blockbuster Hollywood forgot.”

Whoopi responded to what she believed to be the longevity of the production. She also spoke about the diversity of the movie’s stars, which included herself, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn, Vincent Schiavelli, Rick Aviles and Patrick Swayze.

“When I was reading it and reading how much money it brought in, and how it had been bigger than all these other movies, I thought, but (Forbes) is doing the same thing other people have done. They sort of denigrated the fact that this was a terrific movie, and it was also really funny too, and in part, I did that,” she explained.

“And we were a very mixed cast, and it makes you wonder, you know, 30 years later, was it because we were a mixed cast that nobody wanted to celebrate it, the way that, you know, had it been any other cast that happened to be maybe all white, people might’ve celebrated it?” queried the EGOT winner.

Whoopi also said that she was proud of Ghost, which she characterized as a really great story that came out of nowhere and captured people’s imaginations. She quipped that it didn’t have a “superhero,” a nod to other blockbuster films of the year which included Robocop and Darkman. Whoopi also spoke of her friend Patrick’s work in the role of Sam, stating he was a true movie star.

Sam and Molly, played by Patrick and Demi, were the center of the story. After Sam’s untimely death, his soul lingered to assist his love when she appeared to be in danger. He enlisted the help of a reluctant psychic, played by Whoopi, who could communicate with the dead.

The feature would eventually be included in the list of the Top 100-grossing films of all time and be nominated for five Academy Awards at the 63rd annual ceremony, including Best Original Score, Best Picture and Best Film Editing. It would win a golden statuette in the category of Best Original Screenplay.

Whoopi won a supporting actress Oscar for the role of psychic Oda Mae Brown. She was the second black actress to win the coveted award since Gone With the Wind star Hattie McDaniel.