>> no. >> whoopi goldberg always thought of herself as an actress more so than a comedian. she was very much in the spirit of lily tomlin, more so than the stand-ups of her era. >> they said, you a valley girl? i said, no, i'm a surfer. before there was of the mall there was the ocean. >> so much more than standup. she was commenting on the world we're living in in an interesting way through the different characters. >> i passed this big dude walking around with a picket sign talking about stop abortion. i have the answer to abortion -- what is it? i said shoot your [ bleep ]. [ laughter ] >> i was always an actor. one of the reasons i started doing the monologues was because i couldn't get work. people look at you and decide what you can do or can't or what they think you can do. [ applause ] >> what does it take to become successful and how tough is it for you compared to men? >> i think it's hard to be a man comic. >> really?