The Improvised Whoopi Goldberg Line That Changed Ghost Forever

Speaking to Variety in 2021 about the role, Goldberg revealed that she had suggested lines of her own that made their way into the final script after earning the seal of approval during the first table reads. One in particular was during her first conversation as the mediator between Sam (Swayze) and Molly (Moore), as the former tries to explain the details of his death and that she could very well be next. Initially, the script saw Oda Mae pass the message on to Molly, saying, "He's sayin' you're in danger." Instead, Goldberg ad-libbed the line that fits perfectly: "Molly, you in danger, girl."

It's a minor tweak but one that perfectly captures Brown's character as the realist in an otherwise surreal situation. Acting as the eyes and ears for the audience, her honest outlook on the problem is a clear detail from Goldberg that earned her the Oscar, as much as the film's director was originally reluctant to accept.

Even Zucker admitted that the more he saw of Goldberg's performance, the more he agreed she made the role her own in the best way possible. "Oda Mae, at some point, stopped being how I had imagined it, and it became Whoopi." In hindsight, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role either.