Noticeably absent from “The View” this week, moderator Whoopi Goldberg has signed on to appear in a handful of episodes of the Italian soap opera “Un posto al sole” (translated to “A Place in the Sun”), the longest-running series on Italian television, which tells the story of the inhabitants of Palazzo Palladini who are not simple neighbors, but friends, enemies and sometimes lovers.
Goldberg will play a recurring role for a “special storyline” over a few episodes set to air in 2026 as part of the show’s 30th anniversary season.
“Goldberg’s participation is a source of great pride for Rai Fiction, Fremantle, the Rai Television Production Centre in Naples, and the entire cast of ‘Un posto al sole,’” said the show’s producers in a statement announcing Goldberg’s casting.
“I just wanted to stop in to say how happy I am to be joining the cast of ‘Un posto al sole,’” said Goldberg in an Instagram reel posted on Friday. “They know it’s a crazy idea, I know it is a crazy idea, but what a wonderful thing to do. So, I’m looking forward to it, and I’m excited. I know my Italian is not perfect, but we’ve worked it out. Ciao [blows kiss to camera]. See you on TV.”
Achieving the prestigious EGOT status, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, Goldberg famously portrayed head writer Rose Schwartz in the iconic 1991 film “Soapdish,” a comedic spoof of the soap opera genre that poked fun at the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the fictional soap “The Sun Also Sets,” and featured an ensemble cast which led by Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Kathy Najimy, Robert Downy, Jr., Carrie Fisher, Teri Hatcher, Garry Marshall, Paul Johansson, Cathy Moriarty and Elizabeth Shue, and directed by Michael Hoffman.
Also in 1991, Goldberg won the Oscar for Best Actress in A Supporting Role, playing Oda Mae Brown in the film “Ghost.”
Another of Goldberg’s most recognizable roles is as Deloris in the “Sister Act” films.
In Italy, “Un posto al sole” airs on Rai 3, a free over-the-air television network owned by Radiotelevisione italiana. The series premiered on October 21, 1996, and has aired more than 6,700 episodes to date.