AND PIECES." YOU ALWAYS KNEW YOU WANTED TO BE AN ACTOR AND YOU PERFORMED YOUR ONE-WOMAN SHOW DIRECTED BY MIKE NICHOLS WHICH LED YOU TO GETTING YOUR FIRST OSCAR NOMINATION FOR THE ROLE OF CELIE IN STEVEN SPIELBERG'S "THE COLOR PURPLE." [ APPLAUSE ] NOW, YOU OFTEN TALK ABOUT YOUR REVERENCE FOR THESE TWO MEN CHANGING THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE. TELL US ABOUT IT. >> Whoopi: THIS IS GOING TO SOUND CRAZY BUT TWO OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY WHITE ENTERTAINERS IN TERMS OF THE THINGS THEY PUT OUT, MIKE AND HIS MOVIE, STEVEN AND HIS MOVIES, GATHERED ME UP AND SAID, YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, AND SO WHETHER PEOPLE HIRED ME OR NOT WAS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS BEING TOLD BY THE BEST THAT I WAS GOOD ENOUGH. >> Sara: YOU BELONGED THERE. >> Whoopi: AND I BELONGED THERE. >> Sara: AND YOU BELIEVED IT. >> Whoopi: I DID BECAUSE MY MOTHER TOLD ME I WAS PRETTY GOOD TOO. YOU KNOW, I WAS RAISED BY SOMEBODY WHO SAID, LISTEN, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU RECOGNIZE YOUR WORTH. >> Sunny: YES. >> Whoopi: BECAUSE NO ONE IS GOING TO TELL YOU YOUR WORTH. YOU HAVE TO -- YOU HAVE TO TELL YOURSELF AND DON'T LET OTHER PEOPLE TELL YOU NOT TO DO THAT. >> Sunny: THAT'S RIGHT. >> Whoopi: BECAUSE UNLESS YOU HAVE THAT, YOU CAN'T SUSTAIN IT. SO YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IT AND I BELIEVED IT ABOUT MYSELF. >> Sunny: YEAH, WHICH IS WONDERFUL. >> Whoopi: WHICH WAS GREAT. >> Sunny: A GREAT TOOL A PARENT CAN GIVE A CHILD. I ALSO LOVE WHERE YOU WRITE ABOUT -- WE SHOULDN'T GIVE IT ALL AWAY BUT WHERE YOU WRITE ABOUT ON BROADWAY AND YOUR MOTHER IS BRINGING ALL THE LITTLE BIDDIES BUT SHE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO BRING THEM BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE OSCAR THAT YOU DID WIN. >> Whoopi: YES. >> Sunny: FOR PLAYING ODA MAE IN "GHOST." [ APPLAUSE ] AND YOU WRITE ABOUT HOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY ALL THE FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO MADE THE MOVIES YOU HAD WATCHED AS A KID. >> Whoopi: YEAH. >> Sunny: HAD LOVED MOST OF YOUR LIFE. EVEN KIND OF LEARNED FROM, TRAINED -- YOU KNOW, THEY TRAINED YOU. YOU EVEN USED TO WRITE OSCAR SPEECHES AS A CHILD. >> Whoopi: YES. >> Sunny: WAS THAT NIGHT FULL CIRCLE FOR YOU? I THINK WE ALL REMEMBER SEEING YOU UP THERE THINKING, YES! BUT WHAT WERE YOU THINKING. >> Whoopi: I WAS THINKING ISN'T THIS SOMETHING? [ LAUGHTER ] I TELL YOU -- >> Joy: YOU WERE GENUINELY EXCITED. >> Whoopi: I LOVE THE OSCARS. I STILL LOVE THE OSCARS BECAUSE AT THEIR CORE, IT IS ABOUT YOUR ABILITY. IF YOU'RE AN ACTOR, YOU HAVE ACTORS SAYING, YEAH, I LIKED WHAT YOU DID. IF YOU'RE SOMEBODY WHO DOES COSTUMES, IT'S THE COSTUME PEOPLE SAYING YOUR COSTUMES WERE HOT THIS YEAR. I MEAN, IT -- WE ARE -- WE ARE CONGRATULATING OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR FIELDS AND SAYING, YOU DID GOOD WORK AND PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR THAT. YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S NOT HIP TO SAY, YOU KNOW, YEAH, I WANTED THAT BECAUSE THAT TOLD ME THAT I HAD REACHED A PINNACLE WHICH I HAD ALWAYS HOPED FOR AS A LITTLE KID. NOW, I TELL YOU, IF YOUR KIDS START READING SPEECHES THAT THEY'VE WRITTEN, LET THEM DO IT OF THE LET THEM DO IT. BECAUSE MY BROTHER WOULD GO, OH. >> Joy: NOT THAT SPEECH AGAIN. >> Whoopi: AND THEN THERE HE WAS WITH ME. HE WAS THERE WITH ME. >> Sunny: WITH I'D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY. >> Whoopi: UM, IT DID, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, ACTUALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE I THANKED WAS THE WOMEN I WAS NOMINATED WITH BECAUSE THOSE WOMEN, WE ALL DECIDED THAT WHOEVER ONE WAS GOING TO TAKE EVERYBODY ELSE TO LUNCH AND SO -- >> Sara: I'M WITH WHOOPI. >> Whit: I HAD THEM -- I GOT PERMISSION TO CREATE GOLD FOIL OSCARS BECAUSE OSCAR DOESN'T LET YOU DO THINGS BUT I WAS ABLE TO DO THAT AND HAVE THAT FOR THEM. THOSE WOMEN WERE EXTRAORDINARY AND WONDERFUL. ARE YOU SAYING GOOD-BYE TO ME. >> Joy: YEAH. >> Sara: HE CONTINUES TO WAVE AT YOU. >> Whoopi: I JUST NOTICED THAT. OKAY, SO, YEAH. >> Sara: THIS SHOULD BE A BIG TEASER FOR THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS A FAST READ YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT DOWN AND IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW HER YOU DON'T KNOW IT ALL. HER BOOK, "BITS AND PIECES" COMES OUT NEXT TUESDAY, MAY 7th AND EVERYONE IN THIS STUDIO AUDIENCE IS GOING HOME WITH A COPY AND
