Whoopi Goldberg backs Till star Danielle Deadwyler for Oscars glory

Whoopi Goldberg wants Danielle Deadwyler to get an Oscar for her performance in 'Till'.

The 67-year-old actress has produced and stars in the new movie that is based on the true story of Mamie Till, who pursued justice after her 14-year-old son Emmett was the victim of a racist murder in 1955, and feels that Deadwyler is worthy of awards recognition for her performance.

Whoopi told the i newspaper: "I would love us to just get a nomination for our movie. That would make me happy. But Danielle? I mean... 'The Woman King' was good. There's a lot of good stuff out there. But can't nobody touch this girl."

The 'Sister Act' star and her fellow producers spent more than 10 years trying to get the film made but doesn't want to massage her own ego with awards.

She said: "I get to say: 'Yeah, I was a part of making this happen.' And that, of course, is very good for my little ego. But in my soul of soul, in my heart of hearts, I want (Deadwyler) to be the second woman of colour to get an Academy Award as lead."

Whoopi claimed that it is important that 'Till' is watched as it will help people "recognise themselves".

She said: "Listen, the beauty of this movie? That people start to recognise themselves. If you're an LGBTQ person, (conservative lawmakers) are talking about you.

"If you're a woman who wants the right to do whatever she needs to do with her body, they're talking about you."

Goldberg added: "People are trying to throw off history. But we thought, 'We're gonna tell the story anyway.'"