Patrick Swayze's widow, Lisa Niemi, looks back on 'Ghost' 30 years later

Patrick Swayze's widow, Lisa Niemi, looks back on Ghost, one of Swayze's biggest films, 30 years later. When Swayze first read the script, Niemi tells Yahoo Entertainment "he had tears in his eyes."

Video Transcript

- --give anything if I could just touch you once more.

- He says he wishes he was alive again so he could touch you.

- Me too.

LISA NIEMI: When he first read the script-- and actually the script had been turned down by a bunch of people. And Patrick was always terrible about reading scripts. I kept on begging him. I'd say, you have to read this. You absolutely have to read this. You're gonna love it. You're gonna love it.

'Cause he's got "tough guy," but he's got that really sensitive side. And so finally I got him to sit down and read it. He read it all in one sitting. He came out with tears in his eyes. And he said, I have to do this movie. And he went out and fought to get it. 'Cause at that time, the movie that was out was "Roadhouse."

- Be nice.

LISA NIEMI: Which is not exactly the movie that would make you think he should play Sam Wheat.

- You can be the biggest guy in the world. You smash his knee and he'll drop like a stone.

LISA NIEMI: And so he had to fight for that role. And he just totally won 'em over. And it was wonderful because I ran it to the director, Jerry Zucker and Bruce, the writer many, many years later.

They were so complimentary about him and just shared that they felt the movie would not have been the same without him. Because he had just the right thing to bring to it. And he loved it. He loved working with Whoopi. They were like peas in a pod.

- Got a good ol' head on his shoulders.

- Her shoulders.

- Her shoulders.

- Her shoulders.

LISA NIEMI: He had seen Whoopi way back in New York when they did these late night shows on Broadway. He say's, my gosh, she is so talented. And I remember the people associated with the production were looking at Tina Turner. They were looking at Oprah Winfrey, who had done "Color Purple."

But they weren't gonna consider Whoopi. And it's, like, are you crazy? For some reason, they had just thought, "oh, she's a comedian. This is not gonna to work." And he was like-- no, no, no. We have to give her a shot at this.

- Damn, baby. What'd you do to your hair?

LISA NIEMI: It was so sweet because actually Patrick and I were in India at the time. He was shooting "City of Joy." And somehow we managed to get the Academy Awards on television. And it was just so wonderful when she thanked him.

- And I thank Patrick Swayze, who's a stand-up guy and went to them and said, I want to do it with her.

LISA NIEMI: He adored her. I know he loved "Ghost." He loved all of them for different reasons. When "Roadhouse" came up, he couldn't wait to do it. I don't know how many guys sit in the audience in movie theaters and say, "I wish I could do that." And Patrick got to do it, go and kick ass.

Even though he kind of talked down "Dirty Dancing," he's very proud of how that movie came out and the kind of longevity that it's had. And there some things on "City of Joy"-- we were coming back from the set one evening. And he was sitting back in the seat with this beatific smile on his face. And I looked at him. I went, you look really happy. He says, "I am." It was such a satisfying experience for him.

Of course he was the kind of guy he had a high work ethic. And he always strived to do better and more. So he's always trying to make unusual choices and push the envelope on things, which is really great.

- I'll miss you. Your mother would be proud.

- I'm gonna miss you too, Sam. You're all right.