Could you imagine anyone other than Whoopi Goldberg in “Sister Act?” What about seeing Eddie Murphy in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X?” If those questions intrigue you, then Apple TV+ new documentary, “Number One on the Call Sheet,” is exactly what you need.
The two part documentary focuses on what it takes for some oue favorite Black actors and actresses like Murphy, Goldberg, Will Smith Idris Elba and more to be on top in Hollywood. But more than that, it’s filled with countless little known facts and surprising stories that make it well worth the watch.
And because we know want to get into the goodness quickly, we’ve gathered a handful of the most surprising and shocking anecdotes that were revealed.
Whoopi Goldberg Almost Wasn’t Cast in “Sister Act” Franchise and Manifested Her Role in “The Color Purple”
In part two of the documentary focused on Black leading actresses, Goldberg revealed that part of her strategy during the early parts of her career was centered on taking roles that other stars passed up on.
That was how she got the role in the 1986 film, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Burglar” the following year—because Shelley Long and Bruce Willis passed on them. But that’s also how she got the fan favorite film, “Sister Act” because Bette Midler didn’t want to do it.
Golberg later went on to share how she essentially manifested her role in “The Color Purple,” explaining that she wrote a letter to Alice Walker years earlier before her career in Hollywood began. After some time passed, when Steven Spielberg finally approached her about taking on the role of Celie, he mentioned that Walker had told him about the letter and told him that she wanted Goldberg to be a part of the project.
Marlon Wayans Was Almost Robin in 1992's “Batman Returns”
In part one of the documentary which focused on Black leading actors, Marlon Wayans said that as his career was taking off, he was booking 97% of the auditions he went on. However, the wind beneath his sail would get knocked out in 1992 when he discovered that his role as Robin in “Batman Returns” was written out.
“The new one came and the director had a different idea of who Robin was,” Wayans said of the subsequent 1997 film, “Batman and Robin.” “That was a heartbreak for me. I’ve never been the guy. ‘
He continued:
The guy’ is one of the maybe five guys that gets the best script attached with the best director, attached with the best producers with the biggest budget and the biggest marketing campaign. And of the five to 10 guys in Hollywood that get that opportunity, maybe one of two of those guys at a time are Black.
Before Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy Was Considered for “Malcolm X”
Later in part one, Eddie Murphy revealed that he’d only done one audition in his entire life for “Saturday Night Live” and that every other role that came after that was offered to him. One of those roles ended up being for the eventual Spike Lee-directed film “Malcolm X.” Before Lee got involved, a white director named Norman Jewison was attached to make the film and he approached Murphy to play Alex Haley, the author of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” of which the film was based off of. However, thanks to the advice(if you want to call it that) of a fellow acting legend—namely Sidney Poitier—Murphy ended up turning the opportunity down.
“Sidney Poitier said ‘you are not Denzel and you are not Morgan[Freeman]. You are a breath of fresh air. And don’t fuck with that,’ Murphy explained.
Tiffany Haddish Never ‘Felt Safe’ on a Film Set Until “Girls Trip”
Speaking to the difficulties of being on films and TV shows with no Black makeup artists and hairstylists time and time again, Tiffany Haddish revealed that it wasn’t until she got the job on the 2017 film, “Girls Trip,” that she finally felt “safe” and taken care of on a set.
“When I did Girls Trip, that was the first time I ever worked on a project where all the hair and all the makeup knew how to do our type of hair, our skin tone. And it was amazing...’cause I felt safe,” Haddish said while fighting back tears. “It was the first time I felt safe on a project. And once I felt that kind of safety, it’s kind of hard to go somewhere else and not have that.”
Gabourey Sibide Was Working As a Phone Sex Operator When She Booked “Precious”
For Gabourey Sibide, she revealed that before she got booked for the lead role on the 2009, Oscar-nominated film “Precious,” she was working as a phone sex operator. However, she wasn’t working the “Black line” as it wasn’t getting that many calls. Instead, she changed her voice to a more higher pitched one and took on the persona of the very bubbly and very white character of “Melody” to her patrons. Thankfully, she didn’t have to keep that job long due to the success of the film.