Angela Bassett said Whoopi Goldberg went to bat for the crew on How Stella Got Her Groove Back
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Whoopi Goldberg not only helped Stella get her groove back, she also made sure the crew of the 1998 film was properly taken care of.
On occasion of the 25th anniversary of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, star Angela Bassett and director Kevin Sullivan discussed the film's production and legacy at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Bassett praised Goldberg, with whom the Wakanda Forever actress said she shared "a beautiful camaraderie and sisterhood," and recalled how the EGOT-winner was "ready to step up" for the crew of the film.
20th Century Studios Angela Bassett (left), Whoopi Goldberg (right)
"I remember we were having to advocate for every worker on set because we were shooting out of the country," Bassett said, as reported by Deadline. "We were receiving per diem and it wasn't matching the needs of the crew and Whoopi would say give the people what they need, and mentioned that if they can't get what they need, she will subsidize it for them. They ended up doing the right thing, but she was ready to step up. That's a testament to her character as a person. It was a blessing to have her."
Based on Terry McMillan's 1996 bestseller of the same name, How Stella Got Her Groove Back starred Bassett as an uptight, 40-year-old stockbroker who goes on vacation in Jamaica only to fall in love with a man half her age, played by Taye Diggs in his film debut. Goldberg played Stella's best friend Delilah, who, 25-year-old spoiler alert, dies from liver cancer.
"That scene when she passes, I felt that, for real, at her funeral," Bassett said, "because she was such a dear friend."
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