Whoopi Goldberg shared a spooky pic of her dressed in character as Mother Abagail for the CBS All Access production of Stephen King’s The Stand . The moderator of The View — which she co-hosts with Meghan McCain , Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, and Sarah Haines — posted the snap as a way to remind her 1.1 million Instagram followers that the King adaptation would be available on the streaming service beginning December 17.
The EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner revealed that she had taken a role in the adaptation of King’s s novel in September of 2019. The legendary author announced during an appearance on The View on Tuesday, September 10 that Whoopi would be joining his cast. The limited series is based on the 1978 novel of the same name.
In the shared snap, Whoopi wore a long set of white dreadlocks. She stood among a barren forest of trees. Her costume consisted of a floor-length gray gown with white cuffs on the sleeves. In her right hand, she held a cane. Behind her, the sky was backlit with dark clouds which gave the image an overall creepy look.
This role required Whoopi to transform herself into the novel’s 108-year-old character. Mother Abagail is a daughter of freed slaves who has psychic powers. She appears to other survivors in dreams and draws them to her house in Hemingford Home, Nebraska in order to gather them for the final confrontation with the evil forces of Randall Flagg, her dark counterpart. She also has the power of prophecy, reported TV Guide .
Upon the announcement of the casting, ABC News reported that Whoopi revealed her excitement about not only the transformation but also her own characterization for the book adaptation.
“People need to know that 100 is no longer what you think 100 used to be. When [Stephen King] first wrote this book, Mother Abigail [sic] was probably this tall, and she looked like Miss Jane Pittman on steroids,” Whoopi revealed to the news site, referring to the 1974 film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman starring Cecily Tyson.
Fans of the actress were thrilled that after almost a year of waiting, the series would finally air.
“Can’t wait, Whoopi! Huge horror movie aficionado here. Always wanted to see you do more in this genre. Thanks for being the one-and-only you,” wrote one follower.
“Forever inspired by you Whoopi,” chimed in a second fan.
“I can’t STAND the anticipation waiting for its release,” joked a third Instagram user.
