Judd Hirsch reveals to 'The View' host Whoopi Goldberg how he was cast in Spielberg's 'The Fabelmans'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Whoopi Goldberg congratulated 88-year-old actor Judd Hirsch on his second Oscar nomination when the latter appeared on the December 11 episode of 'The View.'

The actor went on the show as a part of a cast reunion of the television series 'Taxi,' 45 years after its premiere on ABC.

Hirsch received the Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Boris Podgorny in the Steven Spielberg film 'The Fabelmans' which was released in November 2022. He was first nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in 'Ordinary People' (1980).

Whoopi Goldberg asks Judd Hirsch about his call with Steven Spielberg

In a clip from the episode shared on X, when Goldberg is seen enquiring about his reaction to being offered a role by Spielberg, Hirsch states, "He (Spielberg) wouldn't tell me what it was. He would only say, 'We'll send you the script. Read it and send it back.'"

"So the only thing we talked about was that the character was going to be someone who made him become a director. There was a line written, you know, 'This man made me become a director.' And I thought, 'Oh that's baloney.'"

Believing writer Tony Kushner made it all up, Hirsch called him up and asked if it was real. "Everything," came the reply.

"Now you gotta do research and history... And I said, 'What the hell I'd just be me!'" Hirsch concluded, with a burst of laughter.

Who were present for the 'Taxi' cast reunion on 'The View'?

The ladies of the morning talk show played host to a number of stars at the special episode, including Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, and Carol Kane.

Remembering their time on the set, DeVito, who played Louie De Palma in the series, said, "For us, from the first day, the first moment we got together, it was like a family. We were hugging and kissing the first day and we didn’t even really know each other."

"We read the script and everyone was falling into place. It was miraculous. But we appreciated it and never took it for granted. We always felt like the work was the most important thing.”

“We said, we gotta do this. If we’re not good, it’s not gonna work. They canceled shows left and right in those years. So we said, ‘Let’s just do this…and drink,'” added Hirsch, who played Alex Reiger in 'Taxi.'