One of the stars of Whoopi Goldberg’s comedy classic Sister Act has revealed that the beloved Disney film contained a secret lesbian subplot.
Wendy Makkena, who played Sister Mary Robert in the 1992 film and its 1993 sequel, has revealed that her character had an ‘attraction’ to Deloris, aka Sister Mary Clarence, played by Goldberg.
Makkena, 67, previously told the You Might Know Her From podcast that she used the sexual chemistry to justify her character’s infatuation with Deloris.
‘I thought to myself, “How am I gonna then justify how obsessed I sort of am with Deloris?” And then I thought, “Well, maybe there’s an attraction,”, she said.
‘It occurred to me that possibly, Sister Mary Robert was drawn to Deloris unconsciously, subconsciously… That there was some kind of attraction that not even Sister Mary Robert would have been, given who, how very innocent she was, aware of,’ she continued.
‘And nobody certainly noticed it on set. It was just an internal little secret that I used as an actor.’
Wendy Makkena, who played Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act, has revealed that her character had a secret lesbian attraction to Whoopi Goldberg’s character in the hit musical
Goldberg, Makkena, and Kathy Najimy all reunited earlier this year
Although the interview was recorded back in 2021, it recently resurfaced and has gone viral on social media.
‘I knew it!! I thought I was adding subtext but she played it with such longing,’ gushed one fan.
‘Listen!! I knew it!! The little gay me KNEW IT! Not us being gaslit for years..lol! Hell naw!’ wrote another.
A third added, ‘Oh my god, she was my first crush. Five year old me must have sensed it!’
Sister Act was first released to audiences back in 1992, seeing Goldberg taking on the leading role as lively lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier.
The songstress is forced into witness protection at a convent and must pass herself off as a devout Catholic nun after witnessing her mobster boyfriend commit murder.
Her boisterous spirit sends shockwaves through the convent and she’s quickly assigned a role in the choir by the Mother Superior in a bid to keep her out of trouble.
However, Deloris, now going by the name Sister Mary Clarence, soon transforms the stuffy choir into a soulful supergroup who become overnight musical sensations.
The original film and its 1993 sequel were two of the biggest comedy hits of the ’90s. A third film is now in development with Disney+
The choir’s success then puts her life in danger, as the mobsters figure out Sister Mary Clarence’s true identity and come after her in a bid to cover up their crime.
Sister Act was a critical and commercial sensation upon its 1992 release, topping the box office and earning Goldberg a Golden Globe nomination.
It was followed by Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, which was panned by critics but still grossed $125million at the box office.
A third Sister Act movie is in the works at Disney+, with comedian and actor Tyler Perry, a producer on the project, confirming that a script has already been written.
‘I love the idea of us making this happen but you know, the Hollywood system moves a little slower than I’d like to,’ he told The View.
‘So we’ve got a good script. We’re off to a great start. We’re just trying to get everybody moving in the right direction so we can get it going.’
