The View's Whoopi Goldberg Has A Sweet Bond With Maggie Smith
Whoopi Goldberg and Dame Maggie Smith's friendship dates back to 1992 when they shared the screen in the original "Sister Act." The musical comedy follows a lounge singer named Deloris Van Cartier (Goldberg), who is forced to go into hiding after witnessing her philandering mobster boyfriend committing a crime. Under the witness protection program, she enters a convent as a nun named Sister Mary Clarence, where only the Mother Superior (Smith) knows her true identity. An incredible 25 years after "Sister Act" was released, the cast reunited on Goldberg's daytime talk show "The View" to celebrate the film's milestone anniversary. Though unable to attend, Smith sent her love to Goldberg and the rest of her former co-stars in a pre-recorded video message.
"Hello, Whoopi. I can't believe this is happening and that it was 25 years ago. I would like to say hello to all the nuns today. I feel like I must be the oldest nun left," Smith quipped (via YouTube). She then sweetly checked up on her old friend, recalling that the last time they saw each other was in 2010, when Goldberg's mother fell ill (she subsequently died of a stroke). "I am so sorry about that," Smith said. "But it was terrific to see you." The "Downton Abbey" star ended her message by reminiscing about her time working with Goldberg on "Sister Act," and its sequel, gushing, "I have such fond memories of when we did those crazy, crazy, crazy films." The Oscar winner added, "I send you lots of love and I wish I were with you." Clearly, their connection runs deep.
Smith helped Goldberg cope with her mother's death
Whoopi Goldberg was performing in the West End production of "Sister Act" in London when she received the news about her mother's sudden hospitalization. As the actor recalled in her 2024 memoir "Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me," Goldberg happened to be in her dressing room with Dame Maggie Smith when she got the call from her brother explaining that their beloved mom, Emma Johnson, had been placed on life support after suffering an aneurysm. Smith, who was just dropping by at the time, stuck around and kept her company as the TV host waited for her flight back to the U.S. "She decided she would stay with me until I was on my way to the airport," Goldberg confirmed in her book (via The Independent). "For the next five hours, Maggie sat with me and let me talk her ear off, telling stories about my mom, my growing-up years, and my brother. We laughed a lot."
At the time, Goldberg remembered, "I didn't feel anything except a big wave of kindness from Maggie." It was then that the "Sister Act" star knew that she had found not just a friend but a sister in Smith. Speaking to People while promoting her book, in 2024, Goldberg discussed how that one act of kindness helped her cope with confronting the tragic loss of her mother, who passed away shortly thereafter. "Having Maggie Smith be there, and being able to fall apart and having her say, 'Listen, my friend. We'll get you through this,'" she shared. "Just having somebody who got it, who understood, it's everything."
Whoopi Goldberg is eager to do Sister Act 3 with Maggie Smith
After reuniting onscreen in "Sister Act 2," in 1993, Whoopi Goldberg wants to work with Dame Maggie Smith again in the third installment of the hit franchise, which was officially announced by Disney Studios in 2020. Speaking on "Loose Women" about the upcoming flick, in 2023, Goldberg made an impassioned plea to have Smith join the project and reprise her role as the original Reverend Mother (Goldberg herself would reprise her own character, Deloris Van Cartier, in the sequel). "I want to let Maggie Smith know that I'm holding the part of Mother Superior for you because I just can't do it with anybody but you," she stated.
The "View" co-host stressed that she is willing to do anything to get Smith involved. "If you need me to come over here and shoot it and do whatever we have to do, we will do whatever you want us to do. But we don't want to do it without you, Maggie," Goldberg pleaded. Tyler Perry — who has worked with Goldberg on films like "Nobody's Fool" and "For Colored Girls" — has agreed to produce "Sister Act 3" alongside Goldberg herself, with Tim Federle tagged to direct.
Aside from Smith, Goldberg also invited her other beloved "Sister Act" co-stars — including fellow living legends Jenifer Lewis and Sheryl Lee Ralph — to join her in the sequel too. During an appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," in 2020, she revealed, "We're working diligently to try to figure out how to get [everyone] [...] to get the gang together and come back."