Conversation | 03/13/2008 7:02 pm

Whoopi: 'I Don't Think I Was Ever Mean'

LIZ: Now look, is it true that you’re antisocial?

WHOOPI: Yes.

LIZ: I hear you like to stay in bed with your hat on and eat and drink and watch TV and movies. And you hate to go out.

WHOOPI: When I’m on the bus — you know I don’t fly — so when I’m on my bus, that’s me. I’m in the bed with my movies and my books, and that’s how I travel across the country.

LIZ: Also, we understand, Whoopi, that you are a very rich woman. And you know our Mary Wells Lawrence has written a posting for us, How to Become a Millionaire. So, we wondered if you have any ideas about how to do that.

WHOOPI: You know what? I say get the scratch-offs and hope for the best. I like my lottery tickets. One of the things I’ve never been good at was making dough.

LIZ: Really? Oh, but you work so hard. I guess you’ve just earned it. You’ve made more movies than almost anybody. I counted them. There were just hundreds of them!

WHOOPI: Yeah. But I don’t own any of them. You know what I mean?

LIZ: So you don’t feel you’ve made gobs of money from acting?

WHOOPI: No. For other people I have, yes. I put many people’s children through college.

LIZ: You create controversy everywhere you go. I don’t think you mean to. I think this just happens. Is that because you’re a true contrarian and a revolutionary at heart?

WHOOPI: I don’t know if I’m a true contrarian, but I just have a lot of questions and sometimes I’ve discovered that asking questions is not what people want you to do. They want you to just …

LIZ: Go along.

WHOOPI: Yes, and I’m not good at it because I find that if you just go along, it’s easy for people to leave you out there hanging. See, because everybody talks a good game until the shit hits the fan. And when the shit hits the fan, everybody disappears.

LIZ: Right. Well I remember that you’ve been misunderstood in many instances. I mean, the remarks about George W. Bush were taken out of context and then when you first came on The View, I thought there was a lot of mishigosh. And so, chiefly, what do people misunderstand about you?

WHOOPI: I think, more than anything, that my intentions are never to aggravate anybody, but just to understand and to say what I see. Mort Sahl was one of my heroes. And Mort always said what he saw. He reported on what he saw. His humor was about us as human beings. And so, in my crazy way, I thought I could do the same thing.

LIZ: Well, you know, I think it’s true. I don’t think you’re honestly confrontational.

WHOOPI: No, I’m not.

LIZ: You’re extremely civilized. If everybody in the world was as polite and nice as you are, it would be great. But I think you just say what you think and people are so full of bullshit that they don’t know what they’re getting.

WHOOPI: Well, it’s the funniest thing, you know. Since I took this job on The View, people say, “Well, you’re so nice.” And I said to myself, “Well, I was never …” I don’t think I was ever mean. I’ve had my moments with people who aggravated me. You know, where I’ve … I might have, like anybody else, gotten pissed off about something. But surely not … not evil. And I’m a comic. And so my job is to make it funny.

Read more about: Culture, Film, Politics, Theater

105 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I truly enjoyed the conversation. Keep up with each other and always be there.

By CAROLINE MuLVEY on 03/28/2008 10:14 am

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Holler for Whoopi!!! The View is watahable now. The lady is straight talk, no bull, no sugar-coating, honest. And that in my book equals much respect! She’s just keepin’ in real, and some can’t handle real!!

By KattinColorado on 03/28/2008 10:45 am

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Whoopi, Thank you for providing a mature, directed, and experienced view. I have admired you thruout your career. You have continued to grow and you also have the guts to admit when you have made a mistake. From those of us who have “grown up” with you. Thank you. I too love Greece. There is something about the light and the people that is almost unreal.

By Judy m. on 03/28/2008 10:57 am

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Whoopi is entirely too modest. For those who may not know it she is one of a very tiny number who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Tony Award, Daytime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She is also UNICEF’s Goodwill ambassador. Here is her ‘Wikipedia’ for more interesting facts on one of America’s most gifted individuals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoopi_Goldberg — How many actors can any of us name that have the range of The Color Purple and Sister Act? Loved both. And being a San Franciscan wish there’d be a Sister Act Three! I don’t find Whoopi at all confrontational. And what’s wrong with challenging the status quo? People love her because of her warmth, honesty, intelligence, that fabulous voice and of course her humor. She thinks critically and questions. We need infinitely more of that. Society, civilization, humanity do not advance by acquiescence. If early America did not include Thomas Paine we’d all be sitting here eating soot pudding and bangers and mash. Whoopi also won the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. That is very important. American music, film and humor are some of the best Goodwill Ambassadors in the world. Mark Twain’s favorite of his own books was his “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.” He considered Saint Joan of Arc the most exceptional human being that ever lived, and I agree (as did Napoleon, de Gaulle and Churchill see a terrific pix of Saint Joan of Arc statue here: http://web.mac.com/myfrenchheart). Whoopi embodies that kind of incredible spirit. Most of all I appreciate Whoopi’s vocal stance on the obscene underfunding to the National Endowment of the Arts. The annual budget is $144 million (up from being cut to $99 million in 1996 by the GOP). Compare that to the $530 million cost for ONE Stealth Bomber. I wish we could have a national campaign to increase funding to the NEA at least to the level of ONE bomber! FDR’s WPA (acronym fever!) was one of the best things ever for the US. Wish that the NEA had the budget to fund projects at that level. Imagine just one performer folks, Alicia Keys. Born in Hell’s Kitchen, classically trained, raised by a single mother….she got a break on Oprah and the rest is history…and the country is richer for that. Golden Ages were defined by their arts. The Golden Age of Greece was such because King Pericles (who JFK patterned himself after) funded the arts. Just slightly more than 200 years later than amazing civilization was over because of King Phyrrus who wrecked the culture and economy and destroyed the nation by his phony wars. Sound familiar? The Renaissance burst from darkness by being the most prolifically artistic generation in history. Imagine how the world would be if every talent had a chance. And Whoopi, regarding Patrick Swayze’s pancreatic cancer, I was very saddened, as everyone I’m sure to hear of his illness, and very optimistic after reading he was being treated at Stanford. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11067y1KzKU That is where Steve Jobs was cured of his pancreatic cancer. I lived on Stanford campus, worked on projects at the Medical Center, and an amazing woman I know who was a law professor at Stanford, was also cured of pancreatic cancer at Stanford. Plus it is a beautiful place to be if you must be in a hospital. Hopefully while he is there he’ll take the shuttle over to see the amazing Memorial Church on campus, truly one of the most breathtaking structures on Earth, and built over 100 years ago by artisans brought over from Italy. Thanks again Whoopi for being you. You make the world a better place. And not to be mean. But couldn’t Elizabeth H just please STFU?? Is she really that stupid or is it her shtick?

By Buh-Bye Hillary Hillary Buh-Bye on 03/28/2008 12:17 pm

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Suzanne, let us not mention Whoopi’s co-host on this site. I hate that I am writing something about her. She’s just a cry baby! We all know why she’s there.

By Taylor Hall on 03/28/2008 12:37 pm

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Taylor, Actually, I don’t know why she is there! Point/Counterpoint contrast? To appease the Ann Coulter/Fox/ Nazi demographic? Beats me. As far as I can see she’s an incredibly rude airhead with a gnat brain, no taset, no talent, and a voice to shatter glass. Normally believe in being gracious, but am so overdosed with stupidity after the past seven years of drowning in it, am now taking more of an unveiled approach! Rosie was right, she is gone and that incredible dope is there, and that is really a shame.

By Buh-Bye Hillary Hillary Buh-Bye on 03/28/2008 2:05 pm

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Taylor, Until I saw Whoopi on the View interacting with E I had never connected the VIRTUE she has in far more depth than I have. PATIENCE!!!! She’s been incredible dealing with someone’s inability to hear what someone else is saying. One instance she restated an observation several different ways and poor E. still only heard her own initial interpretation. To think females are supposed to have better wiring when it comes to speech.

By quiltsis one on 04/10/2008 10:20 am

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Whoopi, you are earthmother real, insightful, uniquely funny, highly intelligent, empathic, an individualist and my type of human!

By Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow on 03/28/2008 12:58 pm

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It is just sooooo cool that we have not one but TWO count them TWO Mark Twain award winners on this site — and of course two of hte most enlightened people on the planet, bless ‘em. I think life would be unbearable without ‘em, and I still cry over Gilda Radner. Anyway, Ms. Whoops, as to the money thing, enough already with this nonsense. Get in touch with Karen McCall at www.financialrecovery.com, and she’ll really help you get over this self-debting no real financial plan BS — you deserve better.

By Mugsy Peabody on 03/28/2008 1:02 pm

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Mugsy Peabody, I love your name!

By Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow on 03/28/2008 1:05 pm

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Thank you.

By Mugsy Peabody on 03/28/2008 1:33 pm

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Mugsy, Dumb me, I don’t know. Who’s the other MT award winner? thx

By Buh-Bye Hillary Hillary Buh-Bye on 03/28/2008 2:08 pm

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“You tell her, Ernestine!” “No, you tell her, Bobbie Janine!” “Oh, no, I could never presume to speak for Missy. Maybe Edith Ann could tell her!” “No, she doesn’t want to, cause she’s working on her friends refill today.” “Okay, lissen, maybe we can get Tess the Bag Lady to clue her in.” “No, no, she’s visiting with the aliens today, so isn’t even on the planet.” “How ‘bout Sistah Boogie woman?” “Oh, she is just too busy gettin’ all busy in the old folks’ home.” “Well, what about the Incredible Shrinking Woman? No, I know, I know, we’ll get Jane Wagner to tell her.” “No, no, Jane is busy writing pomes for the WowOWow website.” “Well, what about Mrs. Beasley? She’ll do pretty much anything to get some attention for her marital aids products.” “Hey, you know, I was thinking maybe Lily would tell her.” “That’s a joke, right? You KNOW how modest Ms. Lily is about this Mark Twain thing. She just wouldn’t want to mention it.” “Well, then, how about Meryl Streep? She’s really such a fan. She’d do it.” “Oh, right, but do you have her phone number, cause I don’t.” “No, but Annie Hathaway just bought one of Grace Harwood’s paintings. Maybe Grace could get it?” “Oh, she isn’t going to bother Ms. Hathaway about this.” “Well, I saw Clint Eastwood the other day down in Carmel and I know he’d have it. ” “Okay, whoever gets their phone number first, call me, and we’ll see if they’ll tell her. Okay?” “Sounds good.” “Later…”

By Mugsy Peabody on 03/28/2008 6:21 pm

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Hello? One ringy-dingy. Mugsy? Happy Freaking Mea Culpa Day with a Cherry on Top!!! Very clever….thank you. :)

By Buh-Bye Hillary Hillary Buh-Bye on 03/28/2008 7:28 pm

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Aw, I was just showing off for Ms. Whoopi! IF we can’t have fun with each other, just what IS the friggin’ point, anyway? Be good. I’m off to drive my new car.

By Mugsy Peabody on 03/28/2008 7:43 pm