As Oda Mae Brown in "Ghost," Goldberg produced one of the most enduring comedic performances in movie history, but she almost wasn't cast in the role that won her an Academy Award. Many women were up for the part, including Tina Turner and Patti LaBelle, but Patrick Swayze (who played the lead, Sam Wheat) fought for Goldberg. According to Variety, Swayze and director Jerry Zucker actually flew to Alabama so that Goldberg could do a chemistry read with the actor (she was there filming "The Long Walk Home").
Zucker was unsure about hiring Goldberg at first. "I was so afraid of a comic in this role, or someone identified with comedy, that it took me a while to come to that decision," Zucker told Variety. Goldberg credits Swayze with being the deciding factor and even went so far as to say he was the reason for her Oscar win. "When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick," she said on "The View," adding, "I remembered to thank Patrick because, had he not said to Jerry Zucker, 'I'm not making this movie unless you put Whoopi Goldberg in there'... that's how I got the job."
