News Summary

• It was the best phone call ever.” Just like filming the cameo itself, the director won’t say when, where or if Goldberg was shown the final cut, but given the warm reception she gave Bazawule and crew during their “View” appearance, one would imagine she’s pleased..
• As “The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule and his star-studded cast made their press rounds ahead of the musical movie’s Christmas Day release, they paid a special trip to visit “The View” and Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the 1985 movie adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel..
• “We also never mentioned her in any press and she remained uncredited for the role.” The magical moment comes early in the film, when a teenage Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi), who is pregnant with her second child by the man she knows to be her father, goes into labor..
• But what the studio audience and viewers watching at home didn’t know was that Goldberg didn’t only inspire the filmmakers behind the latest iteration of “The Color Purple” — she also makes a cameo in the movie..
• Only key crew were aware that Whoopi was playing the role,” Bazawule tells Variety about keeping the secret until after the film hit theaters..
• The 1985 film, directed by Steven Spielberg, marked Goldberg’s big screen debut and her performance earned an Academy Award nomination for best actress..