Whoopi Goldberg Says She Was Turned Down For Ghost, Then Patrick Swayze Stepped In

Whoopi Goldberg revealed she almost missed her chance to win Oscar gold for her role in 1990's "Ghost."

Speaking with Naomi Campbell on Tuesday's "No Filter With Naomi," the 64-year-old actress and TV host got candid about the struggle to land the part of Oda Mae Brown, which she said was a highly coveted opportunity.

"Every Black woman and their mother went to this audition. Women got out of the grave for this audition," Whoopi said a friend told her at the time.

Surprised she had not heard of the audition, Whoopi asked her manager about it, who reportedly told her, "They don't want you. They think that your persona is too big and will take people out of the movie."

Whoopi said she was confused and responded, "Not that I’m comparing myself but Marlon Brando is big." Her "feelings were hurt," according to the star, and she moved on to another project.

But soon after, her agent rang her up.

"I get a call and he says, 'Remember that movie they didn't want you for? Well, the director and the actor want to come to wherever you are and see if there's a way to do this with you.'"

"'They’ve hired Patrick Swayze. Patrick wanted to know why they hadn't come to you,'" Whoopi recalled her agent telling her. "'They told him that they thought you would take people out of the movie.'"

Patrick, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 57, then reportedly demanded Whoopi get a shot. "Patrick said, 'I'm not saying yes to this piece until we know that she's not the right person, because this is ridiculous, she's perfect,'" Whoopi relayed to Naomi.

"I'd never met him but he was a fan," Whoopi said, adding that the two immediately hit it off on set. "As soon as Patrick and I looked at each other we started laughing."

The whole ordeal enlightened Whoopi, as she ended the anecdote by saying, "You never know who's watching, you never know who remembers something about you. That was another great lesson."

"Ghost" went on to become a huge blockbuster and earned Whoopi a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress along with the Academy Award.