Oprah_ A Biography - Kitty Kelley [36]
Oprah admitted to the actress Charlize Theron that she grew up “idolizing beautiful girls.” She said, “I’d think, ‘What would it be like to look like that?’ ” When she met Diane Sawyer she seemed besotted by the beautiful blond cohost of Good Morning America, who, like Oprah, was a Southern beauty queen, crowned America’s Junior Miss in 1963.
Some employees at ABC-TV noticed the affectionate relationship between the two women, and winked as if to say, “Guess who’s got a crush on Diane?” They recalled the giggly late-night phone calls, their excited plans for future joint programs, the hugs, and Oprah’s lavish gifts—the gigantic sprays of orchids that arrived after every one of Diane’s big exclusives, the expensive Kieselstein-Cord handbag, the one-carat diamond toe ring.
“There was a whisper in the workplace,” said Bonnie Goldstein, a former producer for ABC News.
“I don’t even know how [our friendship] happened,” Oprah told InStyle magazine in 1998. “We used to sit around the table and say, ‘You know who is the coolest person? That Diane Sawyer.’ Then out of the clear darn blue sky Diane called and invited me to Martha’s Vineyard. We had so much fun. Fun, fun, fun.”
Another beautiful woman Oprah befriended after she became famous was Julia Roberts, the star of Pretty Woman, who appeared on her talk show ten times and described Oprah in 2004 as her “best friend.” Intrigued by the actress’s luscious good looks, Oprah asked, “Does the pretty thing ever get to ya? … I’m wondering. I was having this discussion with my girlfriend the other day. I said, ‘It’s a really great thing we were never, like, pretty women, because now we don’t have to worry about losing that.’ ” The actress said: “You can’t really complain about being in a movie called Pretty Woman when you’re the woman.” Oprah nodded in agreement and smiled adoringly.
In college she seemed to collect pretty people. “She had her eye on my boyfriend at Fisk and was always asking me questions about him,” said Sheryl Atkinson. “He looked a lot like Stedman—what we call a pretty boy, high yella—light-skinned with European features and a caramel complexion.… Oprah was quite aggressive in her pursuit of him. I remember lying on my bed in the dorm one Sunday night listening to her on WVOL. I heard her dedicate a song to him. I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t mad, because I knew he wasn’t interested in her, but I was amazed at how forward she was. But she was like that in class, too. The professors didn’t like her because she would debate with them and tell them they were wrong. They might say something and Oprah would come back and rebuke them. She would take over the class. Very bossy.”
Not all TSU professors felt that way. Dr. W. D. Cox remembered Oprah as an outstanding student. “I knew her from age sixteen to about twenty-one. I taught her in stage lighting, scenery, and the history of the theater. She was a very likeable student, carried a full load, and took responsibility seriously.” He recalled taking his class to Chicago in 1972 for a speech project and “enjoy[ing] a little foolishness” at Oprah’s expense.
“During our stay [in the city] a girl was reported raped on the second floor. I told a lie on Oprah. If Oprah had known about the rape, she’d have shouted, ‘Yoo-hoo. I’m up here!’ Oprah didn’t take too kindly to that joke. She was quite provoked.”
Dr. Cox regretted making fun of Oprah’s aggressiveness when he learned of her history of sexual molestation. “I was astonished,” he said. “Her father and stepmother were the strength behind her. [Vernon’s] attitude was strict, and he was the best thing that ever happened to her.”
In her sophomore year Oprah joined the Tennessee State Players Guild to play the role of Coretta Scott King in a drama titled The Tragedy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Headlining the review in The Meter, the TSU newspaper was brutal: “Martin Luther King Murdered Twice.” The drama critic was unsparing:
Oprah Winfrey, playing Coretta King, somewhat disappointed me. Oprah, newscaster for a local radio station, shows