Whoopi Goldberg, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, and composer Marc Shaiman had aSister Actreunion onThe Viewin honor of the hit movie’s 25th anniversary. Goldberg hosted the 25th anniversary reunion interview as well as a performance of “I Will Follow Him” for the ecstatic studio audience. As it turns out, much of the cast has kept in sporadic contact over the years and through the interview today, we learned a whole lot about the behind-the-scenes fun that the cast had making the movie.
“I Will Follow Him” is featured as the finale hit song in the 1992 movie, which starredWhoopi Goldbergas Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer who goes into hiding at a convent after witnessing her mobster boyfriend kill a man. The Academy Award winning actress stepped out onto the stage ofThe Viewto lead co-stars Wendy Makkena (Mary Robert),Kathy Najimy(Mary Patrick), Sherri Izzard, Darlene Koldenhoven, Beth Fowler, Andrea Robinson, and Prudence Holmes in a celebratory performance. Rose Perenti (Sister Alma) passed away in 1996, so musiccomposer Marc Shaimanstepped in for her on piano.
Before the performance began, Goldberg interviewed Makkena, Najimy, and Shaiman.Harvey Keitel(Vince LaRocca) made a special appearance and Maggie Smith (Mother Superior) left a nice video message to everybody. Smith had this to say.
“I have such fond memories of when we did those crazy, crazy, crazy films. I send you lots of love.”
This is the first official reunion that the cast has had since the original movies back in the early and mid 1990s. Goldberg revealed that she did not intend to sing in the movie, but was later talked into it and Najimy said that her funny “opera voice” got her the role after auditioning more than once.
Najimy told a story about a prank that they played on a poor room service waiter while they were filming. She explains.
“(We were in) one of those hotel rooms and we ordered wine and fries, as one does in a nun’s outfit, and we ordered room service… and room service came up and right before it came up I put porn on the TV and we were both in our nun outfits, and I said to (Makkena), ‘Don’t you change it! Don’t you change it!'”
Makkena fondly remembered just watching the video while the prank went on, waiting for her wine and fries. Overall, the chemistry between the cast is still intact and you may tell that they all enjoy being in each other’s company.
Sister Actwas a box office success back in 1992 when it was originally released. It grossed over $231.6 million dollars worldwide, making it the 8th highest earning movie of 1992. The movie went on to spawnSister Act 2: Back in the Habitas well as a popular musical that ended up on Broadway in 2011. Disney announced plans for aSister Act rebootback in 2015, but we haven’t heard anything else about that since then. Watch Whoopi Goldberg host the 25th anniversary reunion ofSister Actbelow.
