Whoopi Goldberg Recalls How Patrick Swayze Stood Up for Her Before She Was Hired for Oscar-Winning 'Ghost' Role
Whoopi Goldberg recalled how she was offered her role in 'Ghost.'
Nov. 12 2026, Published 7:13 p.m. ET
Patrick Swayze played a major part in convincing film executives and Whoopi Goldberg herself that she was perfect for the role of psychic Oda Mae Brown in Ghost.
36 years after the hit film's premiere, and one day before Goldberg's 71st birthday, RadarOnline.com revisits her Academy Award-winning work in the 1990 classic.
Patrick Swayze Almost Refused to Film 'Ghost'
Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore starred in 'Ghost.'
Directed by Jerry Zucker, Ghost follows the tragic romance of Sam (Swayze) and his girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore), who is left grieving his death after his murder. He returns from the grave as a supernatural entity who tries to warn her that she may be in danger.
Goldberg played an eccentric psychic named Oda Mae.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two Oscars that year, but Swayze almost refused to be involved.
He reportedly caught wind that execs were not interested in hiring Goldberg for the role and told them: "If you’re not going to hire her, I am not going to be in this film."
Whoopi Goldberg Recalls Being Offered Job
Whoopi Goldberg played Oda Mae Brown in 'Ghost.'
In an excerpt from Dave Karger's book 50 Oscar Nights, Goldberg recalled getting a call from her agent at the time, Ron Meyer, who told her Swayze wouldn't take the job unless she was in.
"(Ron Meyer) says, ‘Patrick Swayze has been hired for this movie. Patrick is not going to do this if you don’t do it. Can you make some time for him and the director to come up?'" she remembered him telling her.
"So they (Zucker and Swayze) flew in, I meet Patrick, and out of the blue, we’re old friends," she continued. "About 40 minutes go by and Patrick says, ‘Please do this with me.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, okay.’ And that’s how it happened."
Whoopi Goldberg Won Multiple Awards for 'Ghost'
Whoopi Goldberg claimed Patrick Swayze advocated for her to get the job.
When Goldberg agreed to be in the film, she had no idea that it would become a romance classic.
"I said yes, not really knowing what it was going to be," she admitted in a past interview. "It wasn’t until we all saw the film that we realized what we had."
Not only was the movie itself critically acclaimed, but she also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, as well as a BAFTA Award, a Saturn Award, and an American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress.
Whoopi Goldberg Pays Tribute to Patrick Swayze After His Death
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Whoopi Goldberg paid tribute to Patrick Swayze on 'The View' when he died in 2009.
On September 14, 2009, Swayze died at 57 years old after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The next day, Goldberg gave a heartfelt tribute to her former co-star on The View.
"This was a well-fought battle. Patrick fought like the dickens to survive it, or to get through it. He never thought of himself as someone who was dying," she said at the time. "He said, ‘You know, we’re all dying.’ And so his attitude was, 'Until it kills me, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.'"
"He worked, he did his show, he just was a cat that never gave up," she continued. "I would like to be able to be that. I would like to have that bravery."
