Whoopi Goldberg receives standing ovation from 'The Color Purple' cast on 'The View': Watch

The cast of the upcoming film "The Color Purple" (out Dec. 25) is showing its appreciation for Whoopi Goldberg 40 years after she portrayed Celie in Steven Spielberg's 11-time Oscar-nominated film.

In Wednesday's episode of "The View," Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson from the musical film's cast led the studio crowd in a standing ovation for Goldberg. They "wouldn't be here without you," Brooks – who plays Sofia, a role that earned Oprah Winfrey her first Oscar nomination – told Goldberg.

The film's director, Blitz Bazawule, sparked the moment of appreciation after Goldberg asked him why he changed his mind about his initial hesitation on helming the project.

"'The Color Purple,' it's sacred ground. You don't just show up to it with nothing to offer or nothing to contribute," he said. "It's been a brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning book. It's an incredible cinematic classic, and we owe you."

Barrino-Taylor, who plays Celie in the upcoming film, starts rising in her chair as she applauds, and everyone behind the desk, including co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, rises for a standing ovation.

Directing "The Color Purple," for Bazawule, meant "going back to Alice (Walker's) brilliant words" and "finding these brilliant women to bring life into that," he said. Colman Domingo and Corey Hawkins also star in the movie.

Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning coming-of-age story novel was released in 1982, and Spielberg's adaptation – starring Danny Glover, Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery – was released three years later. The film earned Academy Award nominations for Goldberg (best actress in a leading role), Avery (best actress in a supporting role) and Winfrey (best actress in a supporting role).

Earlier this month, Winfrey, who is producing this latest adaptation of "The Color Purple," honored Henson, Barrino-Taylor and Brooks at the Elle Women in Hollywood celebration in Los Angeles. She wrote personalized speeches for each woman and called Barrino-Taylor "a phoenix rising."

"You saw something in me that I didn't see in myself a long time ago, and I know you were just waiting for me to get it right," Barrino-Taylor told Winfrey in an emotional speech. "You were just waiting for me to see it, and I see it now."

The portrait is here: Oprah Winfrey dons purple gown in her Smithsonian painting

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Color Purple' cast gives Whoopi Goldberg a standing ovation