Oprah Winfrey talks bringing a familiar face into The Color Purple remake as she calls cameo a 'wonderful Easter egg' for fans of the film

Oprah Winfrey explained Whoopi Goldberg’s cameo in the musical remake of The Color Purple.

The former daytime talk show host, 69, produced the film and in the process decided to drop a little inside joke for fans of the 1985 film in which she played Sofia.

In the remake – which had the second highest Christmas Day opening of all time – Whoopi Goldberg, 68, makes a cameo as a midwife during the scene when Celie – who she played in the original film – is having her second baby.

‘[We] just thought it was a wonderful Easter egg for audiences who have appreciated the film over the years, for the diehards,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter.

She added: ‘And we also thought it was a lovely homage to Whoopi.’

Oprah Winfrey explained Whoopi Goldberg’s cameo in the musical remake of The Color Purple

Winfrey was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Steven Spielberg film.

But she decided only Goldberg’s cameo was necessary.

‘Actually, I thought about it, it would’ve been good in the church scene, but I thought it would also be distracting when Sofia is getting married that if the old original Sofia was just one of the people in the church, and then they were shooting that in the middle of Georgia when COVID was [spreading] like, ‘OK, well I ain’t sitting in that church all day anyway,” she told the outlet.

‘And also I just think it’s more special that it’s just Whoopi,’ she added.

1985’s The Color Purple was Oprah’s first film and her first time on a film set. In a separate interview she recalled her nerves and the mistakes she made.

‘I had never done a film, been in a film, knew anything about filming but wanted to be in The Color Purple more than anything in my life,’ Winfrey said on a recent interview on the Drew Barrymore Show.

She said she looked straight into the camera on her first day of filming alongside costar Goldberg.

‘Steven yells, “Cut! Cut! Cut! What are you doing?”‘ the media mogul explained.

‘[I said], “Uh. I was just doing my lines.” He said, “What are you doing looking in the camera?” I go, “I’m not supposed to look in the camera?” He goes, “No! Ms. Celie’s over here!”‘

‘I didn’t know. I didn’t know. I had never been on a movie set,’ she added.

In the remake, Whoopi Goldberg, 68, makes a cameo as a midwife during the scene when Celie – who she played in the original film – is having her second baby (Goldberg pictured in the original film)

The former daytime talk show host, 69, produced the film and in the process decided to drop a little inside joke for fans of the 1985 film in which she played Sofia

The remake had the second highest Christmas Day opening of all time

‘[We] just thought it was a wonderful Easter egg for audiences who have appreciated the film over the years, for the diehards,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter

She added: ‘And we also thought it was a lovely homage to Whoopi’

The media mogul played Sofia in the 1985 film and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role

And now she’s produced the show alongside Spielberg.

‘So full circle!’ Winfrey said about reuniting with Spielberg. ‘Look at God looking at me! I think it’s so incredible.’

The new movie musical stars Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson and Colman Domingo.

The film had the largest Christmas opening since 2009’s Sherlock Holmes with $18 million on opening day.