The Cast of Sister Act 2 Then and Now
By Carole
1 year ago
Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence - THEN
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After becoming a famous performer in Las Vegas. Deloris is reunited with her nun friends, Sisters Mary Patrick, Mary Robert and Mary Lazarus. They all ask her to reprise her persona as Sister Mary Clarence. St. Francis Academy, where Deloris attended as a child. The place is facing closure unless the reputation of the school can be improved. Deloris agrees and returns as a music teacher.Whoopi Goldberg - NOW
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Whoopi Goldberg is an actor, tv personality and author. She has received numerous accolades over the years and only one of 18 recipients of the EGOT. This means she has picked up an Emmy, a Grammy, an Academy Award and a Tony. Three years after appearing in "Back In The Habit", Whoopi secured the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Most recently, you will have seen her on "The View" talk show.Sister Mary Patrick - THEN
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Sister Mary Patrick probably invented the phrase "terminally delightful" before it was acquired by Ben De La Creme on "RuPaul Drag Race!" Sister Mary could be annoying as she always seemed to be in a good mood and was charming to everyone, no matter who they were She never judged people and always saw the good in them. More of us should take a leaf out of her book!Kathy Najimy - NOW
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Kathy Najimy still sticks to her opinion that playing Peggy was probably the best experience of her career. Najimy appeared as Bev in the comedy "Rat Race" and continued to be a busy actress after Sister Act 2. More recently, she had a supporting role as Wendy Keegan in "Veep" and starred in the much awaited "Hocus Pocus 2" movie, where she played Mary Sanderson.Father Maurice - THEN
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Father Maurice in Sister Act 2 portrays such a sweet character and we all took him into our hearts. He's not the most professional staff member and can be quite incompetent at times but, despite his shortcomings, he is so supportive of the school choir and puts his heart and soul into praying they will do well, that we, as audience members, applauded him for this.Barnard Hughes - NOW
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Barnard Hughes was mainly famous for his work on Broadway shows although he did appear in movies and tv shows after Sister Act 2 wrapped. He returned to his role as Buzz Richman in family drama "Blossom" until the mid 1990s and in 2000 he played Henry in the film adaptation of "The Fantasticks." Sadly, Hughes died aged 90 in 2006, his final role being Judge Panicio in "Deadline."Sister Mary Lazarus - THEN
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Sister Mary Lazarus, an elderly nun, is best known for her no-nonsense attitude although she does have a dry sense of humor which draws us in to the character. Due to her impressive musical talent, Sister Mary is a choir director as well as music teacher at St. Francis Academy, the Catholic school which is facing financial difficulties. She is first class at guiding and supporting the school choir.Mary Wickes - NOW
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Mary Wickes' career started way back when and she appeared in over 50 movies during her lifetime. Wickes played the mother of Shirley MacLaine's character in "Postcards from the Edge" and Mary Murkin in "The Father Dowling Mysteries" on TV. She was brilliant in the film version of "Little Women" in 1994 and this was to be the last time we saw her on screen before her death at 85 from numerous ailments.Father Ignatius - THEN
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Head of the St. Francis Academy, Father Ignatius, brings back Sister Mary Clarence. She had made it big in Vegas as a singer and the Academy desperately need her help as they are experiencing financial problems. The school's declining numbers requires a pick me up to inspire students so Father Ignatius, in his wisdom, knows Deloris could be the person to mend the dire situation.Michael Jeter - NOW
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After Sister Act 2, Michael Jeter got a great gig, "The Green Mile, an adaptation of Stephen King's novel, where he played Eduard Delacroix. One of Jeter's later career moves, which he describes as "delightful" was when he provided the voices of Mr Noodle and Noodle's siblings in "Sesame Street" and "Elmo's World." Sadly, Michael passed away aged 50, back in 2003.Sister Mary Robert - THEN
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Sister Mary Robert is probably the youngest nun at Catholic school, St. Francis Academy. She is in the very early stages of her religious training in becoming a fully fledged habit wearer! Sister Mary is timid and a little shy, quite overwhelmed by her elders although her character does actually provide a pivotal role as she supports the more mature nuns.Wendy Makkena - NOW
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Wendy Makkena has been a very busy bee since her role as Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act 2. In 1994, she starred with Christopher Lloyd in "Camp Nowhere" and three years later was in "Air Bud." In 1998 she starred in an independent LGBT comedy drama on television, "Finding North." Her more recent work involved the drama "The Mob Doctor." Makkena married Bob Krakower, an acting coach, in 1997.Florence Watson - THEN
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Florence Watson is the young, ambitious student with a passion for singing and she certainly shows off her vocal talents in the choir and in music lessons. Florence isn't sure about being in the choir at first but, with Sister Clarence's encouragement, her confidence improves and she realises that she can sing as well, if not better, than the others.Jennifer Love Hewitt - NOW
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Singer and actress, the beautiful Jennifer Love Hewitt has made many more memorable appearances in movies since Sister Act 2. She was in "Heartbreakers", "The Tuxedo" and starred in "Ghost Whisperer", the supernatural drama. You may have seen Hewitt in the CBS crime drama "Criminal Minds" and she was also up for a Golden Globe for "The Client List" in 2010.Joey Bustamante - THEN
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Right through the movie, Joey is a great support to Deloris as she faces an internal struggle about giving up her successful life as a performer in order to return to her former calling as a nun. Joey is laid back an friendly and encourages Deloris in a way that she thinks she's making up her own mind independently. He helps her improve the music program of the school.Robert Pastorelli - NOW
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As Robert Pastorelli's television career started to catapult, so did his movie status, all on the back of his performance in Sister Act 2. He supplied a defining rendition when he played a demented serial killer in "Striking Distance", the murder mystery thriller in 1993. Pastorelli popped up in "Frasier" on TV and "Michael" in 1996. Tragedy struck in 1999 when his girlfriend was killed by a gunshot to the head.Father Wolfgang - THEN
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Father Wolfgang, the light-hearted and always happy character, is the cook and it's a job he's good at. He's always interacting with the students and the nuns, squeezing in a few jokes during his conversations with them. He supplies quite a minor role within Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit but, nevertheless, adds depth to the list of characters and is well liked by all.Thomas Gottschalk - NOW
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Thomas Gottschalk has won various prizes for his acting craft. These include "Telestar", "Goldenes Schlitzohr" and "Goldene Feder", the latter in 2001. Gottschalk received three Bambi accolades as an author but he returned these after getting into a dispute with the publisher. However in 2001, he did accept a "Bambi of Honor", which made up for the earlier issue. In 2012 he co-hosted "Das Supertalent."Reverend Mother - THEN
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The Reverend Mother, head of the school and the convent, is a strict and traditional woman and she has to maintain discipline and order when dealing with both the nuns and the students. She is desperate to see the school thrive and for it to remain open following the financial problems it is facing but she has to balance this with the rules she refuses to break.Maggie Smith - NOW
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What can we say about Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE that hasn't already been reported. The actress is a British treasure and worth her weight in gold in the acting world. Unbelievably, she has been on screen and stage for over seventy years. She has been awarded two Academy Awards, a Tony and no less than four Primetime Emmy Awards. Younger fans will recognise her from "Downton Abbey."Rita Louise Watson - THEN
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Rita Louise Watson becomes a major character as the story unfolds in Sister Act 2. She is a passionate singer and her dream is to turn professional and pursue a career in the music industry. By the sound of her voice and the fact she is one of the standouts in the choir, we actually believe in her (not surprising as the character is played by Lauryn Hill)!Lauryn Hill - NOW
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Following on from the success of Sister Act 2, the Fugees, along with Lauryn as lead singer, made albums and won many accolades. However, it was her first solo album that won her a Grammy and the following year she received another for co-producing Santana's album "Supernatural." Lauryn had a past relationship with Wyclef and her partner is Rohan Marley, son of the late Bob Marley. They have one child together.Ahmal - THEN
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Ahmal is a member of the school choir and has a powerful set of pipes! When Deloris Van Cartier returns to the school to help out with the music program, she tells Ahmal to embrace his gift as he is very talented. We see him perform "Oh Happy Days" and it's a bit of a moment. His famous saying was “it’s eclectic, not electric, stupid!” and everyone goes quiet!Ryan Toby - NOW
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Ryan Toby was in the group City High who shot to fame with "What Would You Do." They broke up in 2003 and Toby released a solo album "Soul of a Songwriter." He still writes, produces and sings, having worked on many movie soundtracks. He was in the movie "Prison Song" with Mary J Blige and featured in 2011 on Young Buck's song called "Ain't Slept in Days."Maria - THEN
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Maria is a music teacher at the Academy and passionate about singing. Everyone remembers Maria, the one who didn't know the lyrics to the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb" but she could remember and sing every word of the theme song to "The Love Boat! She comes across as being strict but she is committed to the success of the school choir.Jennifer Lewis - NOW
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Jennifer Lewis has been somewhat typecast in her roles after Sister Act 2. This was the case in "Poetic Justice", "What's Love Got to Do With It", "The Preacher's Wife", "The Cookout" and "Think Like a Man" plus the sequel "Think Like a Man Too." Lewis is often referred to as the unofficial mother of black Hollywood which is the name of her memoir.Tanya - THEN
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Described as the girl with the booming voice, Tanya belted out “Mary Had a Little Lamb" at the beginning of the movie and as part of the choir she did a duet, "His Eye is on the Sparrow" with Rita. After the movie, this became an anthem in many black churches! Her vocals were always heartfelt and she was part of the glue that kept the choir together.Tanya Blount - NOW
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Ahmal's Mother - THEN
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Ahmal's mother tries to encourage her son to dust off his self doubt and shyness. She is constantly motivating him to overcome obstacles he puts in his own way but throughout this, she shows him unwavering support in his passion for singing and what a voice he has! She always tells him how proud she is of him and that his voice is a gift he should nurture.Sheryl Lee Ralph - NOW
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Sheryl Lee Ralph is very well known for her role in the sitcom "Moesha. She played the character Dee Mitchell from 1996 to 2001. Her roles on Broadway include playing Muzzy Van Hossmere in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in 2002 and she also played Madame Morrible for 12 months in 2016-2017 in "Wicked." Talented Ralph produced "Thoughts of a Colored Man" in 2021 and "Ohio State Murders" the following year.Things you didn't know about Sister Act! Whoopi Goldberg was never the first choice
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We definitely can't imagine Sister Act without Whoopi Goldberg, and she was definitely made for this kind of role - which is why it's surprising to learn that, actually, she was never the first choice! The first choice for the role was actually singing legend Bette Midler, but Bette turned down the role because she was worried her fans wouldn't want to see her as a nun!Did you spot the rapping granny?
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If you're a fan of the Wedding Singer movie - because who isn't! - you'll definitely remember the rapping grandma scene. And the actress who played that rapping granny was Ellen Albertini Dow - who also appeared in Sister Act! You can spot her in the choir singing in the movie, and amazingly, she also lived to the age of 101 years old before she passed away in 2015.The actress who played young Whoopi has actually done so before!
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We of course saw flashbacks in the movie to the character of Deloris when she was younger, played by actress Isis Carmen Jones. But this isn't the only time Isis has actually played a younger Whoopi! She's apparently so convincing at it that she's done it more than once, because she also appeared as a younger version of Whoopi's character in Star Trek: The Next Generation.The habits worn are actually wrong
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If you don't know much about nuns' habits - which most of us don't, really - you might have watched this movie enjoying the music and comedy without giving the costumes a second thought! But actually the habits were technically incorrect, because different orders of nuns wear a different style of habit. The nuns in this movie were Carmelites, but their habits were those of Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis.And the actors would also have fun wearing their costumes out in public...
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The actors didn't get changed right out of their costumes soon as their scenes were over! Some of the actors decided to use the nun's habits to their advantage for pranks, and they would venture out into the city still dressed as nuns so that they could go to casinos and bars. Some of the actresses even ordered room service to their hotel rooms so they could answer the door in full garb!The movie was shot in San Francisco
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If you're not from the US - or maybe you are and you're not clued up on the architecture of many other states - you might not have known the movie was shot in San Francisco! You can recognize St Paul's Catholic Church, found in the Noe Valley in San Fran, and then even had to 'dress down' the neighborhood to make it look more lower class than it really was.And the original setting was actually changed because of Whoopi!
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The reason the movie ended up being shot in San Francisco was actually because of lead actress Whoopi Goldberg. Originally, the the movie was supposed to be set in Chicago based on the script, but because Whoopi had started out in her standup comedy career in San Francisco, she felt a pull to the place and in the end it was changed to suit her when she signed on for the movie!A post office was actually used for the police station
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One of the most well-known locations we see in the movie has to be the police station, and you probably didn't question whether it's actually a police station in real life. Funnily enough, the building does exist, but it's really a humble post office! More interestingly, there was a real police station that could have been used, but the director didn't think it looked enough like a police station! Go figure.What happened in the movie would never actually happen
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Okay, so we know it's just a movie and it's not real, but most movies follow everyday plots that are completely plausible in real life, and you might have thought the plot of Sister Act could easily happen in reality too - maybe even inspired by real life events. But nope - what happened in the movie could never actually happen, because nobody would ever be put in witness protection within the clergy because of it being too dangerous.It actually faced a lawsuit - twice!
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What could this movie possibly have done wrong to face not only one lawsuit, but two? Well, both lawsuits actually had similar motivations, even though they were by two entirely different people. The first was actress Donna Douglas suing the movie because she claimed it ripped off a script adaption of a nun novel she'd done. The second was actually a nun, who claimed the movie was based on her own autobiography!The screenwriter actually used a fake name
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The screenwriting credits for Sister Act go to a man named Joseph Howard, and you might have been tempted to look up what he's done before (or after). But Joseph Howard doesn't actually exist! It's a fake name, which came about because the original screenwriter (Paul Rudnick) saw a lot of changes happening with his script from many different writers and, in the end, he didn't want to be credited as himself.The director of the movie died at a young age
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The director of Sister Act was Emile Ardolino, who also directed the classic Dirty Dancing - and with such big, successful movies under his belt, he should have had a long and successful career. Tragically, Ardolino passed away at the age of 50, due to complications from AIDS. He died in 1993, but you can honor is memory by watching his brilliant movies!Actor Harvey Keitel and nuns
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Harvey Keitel started to have a track record for appearing in movies with nuns! Not only did the actor appear in Sister Act, but he also appeared in another movie the very same year that also featured nuns: Bad Lieutenant. Maybe Keitel just has great chemistry with nuns? A coincidence? Either way, he gave an amazing performance in both so who's counting!The origin of the girl band name
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Deloris's original girl group is a key part of the movie, and we know them as the sparkly and talented Ronelles! Rather than just being a random word picked from thin air to use as a fictional band, the name actually comes from real life inspiration: two of the biggest pop girl groups from the 1960s, the Ronettes and the Shirelles, were the inspiration for the mashup!And the soundtrack was a huge hit!
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Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack of the first movie, Sister Act, was a huge hit! We know the songs of the movie are based on religious songs, which might not be everybody's preference, but the fact that Deloris mixed them into more modern day pop songs evidently meant the more mainstream audience were happy to listen to them! And willing to pay money for it, if the soundtrack sales are anything to go by.The movie made a whopping $231.6 million
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Speaking of money! The movie Sister Act was of course a successful in itself, not just the soundtrack. It earned $231.6 million from box office sales, when it was made on a budget of $31 million - so needless to say, it earned that money back! Not only that, it ranked eighth place in highest grossing movies of that year, as well as being second most popular in the domestic box office for four weeks straight.The Oscars weren't interested in Whoopi, though
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Whoopi Goldberg has been in a fair few Oscar-worthy movies for her iconic performances, and you might think her role in Sister Act would be one of them - but the Oscars weren't actually interested in her at all! Even though she already had an Oscar for Ghost (so she presumably wasn't too fussed) they didn't give her a look in for Sister Act.The sequel was less successful
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Sequels to hugely popular movies can go either way - it's rare they're better than the original, but sometimes they are (Home Alone 2, anyone?). For Sister Act, unfortunately the second movie didn't do as well as the first - but that doesn't mean it still didn't do well. It had a $38 million budget - so more than the first - and earned $125 million in the box office.It was also turned into a musical!
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If you didn't already know (and you should definitely try to watch it sometime!) Sister Act also inspired a musical of the same name. Because the movie includes a lot of songs on that successful soundtrack we spoke about, there's no surprise why some brainbox thought they could cash in from a musical version! The musical showed on both London's West End and Broadway.And happy news: there's a third movie on the way!
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If you need another dose of singing nuns - and Whoopi Goldberg - we have good news for you! There have been rumors confirmed of a third movie on the way. It was officially announced back in 2018, so we've been waiting a while, but Goldberg herself confirmed a few years after the first announcement that she would be returning to work on the movie, too!What To Read Next
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