With the possible exception of Leslie Knope, there is no character on television these days who's more optimistic than Sue Heck on "The Middle." This week on the show, Sue will meet her match when she discovers her school guidance counselor. The equally positive advisor is played by none other than Whoopi Goldberg, In a recent exclusive interview, the woman behind Sue, Eden Sher talked about working with the Oscar-winning actress.
Eden Sher Calls Whoopi Goldberg Mystifying.
Sher gushed about Goldberg, saying, "There's no words in the English language to describe my two days of just pure ecstasy. Not even just happiness, but also I was awestruck by her presence and sort of nervous, but in a really excited way. I just felt a general air of magic everywhere I went. That pretty much sums up Whoopi Goldberg, too. She's just mystifying to be around."
"The View" moderator also knows how to maintain a certain tone among the cast and crew. As Sher recounted, "I learned a lot about what makes a comfortable set, really. I had met her but I didn't know what to expect of her in a professional context. And she just was so relaxed and calm, and made everyone feel at ease. It was so nice to see that someone who has such immense talent can also just be the coolest person. And I want to be like that."
Eden Sher Has Set a New Goal for Sue Heck After Working with Whoopi Goldberg.
Now that she's had the experience with Goldberg, Sher said she actually has a new idea for where she'd like Sue's character to end up in the future. "Honestly, especially after working with Whoopi, I see her as this really awesome elementary school guidance counselor, or maybe in 10 years, she's be like a T.A. in a preschool. I see her definitely getting along with little kids really well, though."
But in the immediate future, Sher had some simpler wishes for Sue. She confessed, "I would like to see her get maybe one or two new friends, maybe another boyfriend. I would like to see her get her braces off."
And yet there's one thing that she hopes never happens to the Heck's middle child. "I would not like to see her become jaded. That's the only thing I request of the writers. It's so silly because I am her, but I'm really not. She's something from the imagination of the creators. I just think this girl is an inspiration and a feminist icon. And I don't want her to lose her unjustified optimism."
Catch Whoopi Goldberg and Eden Sher on Wednesday, May 2, when "The Middle" airs at 8pm EST/7pm CST on ABC.
