Geena Davis once secretly played Goofy at Disneyland for a few hours
Synopsis
Geena Davis quietly slipped into the Goofy costume at Disneyland — a privilege strictly off-limits to guests — and spent a few hours signing autographs and posing for photos with park visitors who had no idea they were meeting an Oscar-winning actress in disguise. The story, confirmed on Watch What Happens Live, is as charming as it is improbable.
Key Takeaways
Geena Davis confirmed she dressed as Goofy at Disneyland and interacted with guests for a few hours .
Park policy strictly prohibits guests from wearing character costumes, making the exception highly unusual.
Davis made the revelation on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen after an audience member — a former Disney cast member — raised the rumour.
She also appeared at Sabrina Carpenter 's Coachella set last month, playing an older version of Carpenter dubbed 'Aunt Sabrina'.
The Coachella event sparked a reunion between Davis and Madonna , her co-star from A League of Their Own ( 1991 ), whom she had not seen in roughly 34 years .
Actress Geena Davis — celebrated for her roles in Tootsie, Beetlejuice, and Thelma & Louise — has revealed that she once donned the Goofy costume at Disneyland and spent a few hours interacting with unsuspecting guests, signing autographs and posing for photographs. The candid admission came during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
How the Story Came Out
The revelation was prompted by an audience member who identified herself as a former Disney cast member. She asked Davis whether a longstanding rumour — that the actress had once slipped into a character costume during a park visit and spent part of an afternoon as a Disney character — was actually true.
Davis confirmed the story, though she clarified one key detail: it was not Tigger, the Winnie the Pooh character, as the audience member had heard. It was, in fact, Goofy.
What Davis Said About the Experience
'I understood that nobody's ever allowed to do this, but somehow, they let me be Goofy,' Davis said on the show. Park staff apparently briefed her on how the character moves, though Davis made clear she needed no coaching. Putting on a spot-on impression of the beloved Disney character, she quipped, 'I know how he walks,' before mimicking Goofy's distinctive mannerisms to the audience's delight.
'So, I was Goofy for a few hours, and I was signing autographs and posing for pictures. It was super fun,' she concluded.
The Coachella Reunion and Madonna Connection
The conversation on Watch What Happens Live also touched on Davis's surprise appearance at Sabrina Carpenter's headline set at Coachella last month. Davis portrayed an older version of Carpenter — dubbed 'Aunt Sabrina' — and delivered a mid-show monologue, drawing widespread attention.
That star-studded Coachella set also produced an unexpected reunion between Davis and Madonna, her co-star from the 1991 cult-favourite film A League of Their Own, which the two made alongside Rosie O'Donnell, Lori Petty, and Tom Hanks — now 34 years ago.
'I haven't seen her for a long time,' Davis told Cohen of the reunion with Madonna. 'Maybe since the movie, but a very long time. I didn't know she was going to be there. It was such a great surprise,' she added.
A Rare Glimpse Behind the Disney Curtain
Davis's Disneyland anecdote is a rarity — park policy strictly prohibits guests, regardless of celebrity status, from donning character costumes. The fact that an exception was reportedly made for her underscores the kind of access afforded to A-list talent, and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how Disneyland's famously guarded character programme occasionally bends for extraordinary circumstances. Whether the moment was officially sanctioned or a spontaneous indulgence remains charmingly unclear.
Point of View
And the idea of a guest, any guest, simply 'becoming' Goofy for an afternoon is extraordinary. That Davis was allowed to do it, and that the story circulated among cast members as near-legend for years, says something about how the park's rules quietly flex for the famous. The more interesting thread, though, is the Coachella reunion: Davis and Madonna sharing a stage again after 34 years, neither apparently knowing the other would be there, is the kind of unscripted Hollywood moment that no publicist could engineer.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Geena Davis really dress up as Goofy at Disneyland?
Yes, Geena Davis confirmed on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that she dressed as Goofy at Disneyland and spent a few hours signing autographs and posing for pictures with park guests. She acknowledged that such access is normally off-limits to visitors.
Which Disney character did Geena Davis play at Disneyland?
Davis played Goofy, not Tigger as rumoured. A former Disney cast member in the audience had heard the story involved the Winnie the Pooh character Tigger, but Davis corrected the record and confirmed it was Goofy.
What did Geena Davis do at Sabrina Carpenter's Coachella set?
Davis made a surprise appearance at Sabrina Carpenter's Coachella headline set last month, portraying an older version of Carpenter — referred to as 'Aunt Sabrina' — and delivered a mid-show monologue.
When did Geena Davis and Madonna last meet before Coachella?
Davis told Andy Cohen she had not seen Madonna in a very long time — possibly not since they co-starred in A League of Their Own in 1991, which is roughly 34 years ago. She described the Coachella reunion as a great surprise, saying she had no idea Madonna would be there.
Who else starred in A League of Their Own with Geena Davis and Madonna?
The 1991 film A League of Their Own featured Geena Davis and Madonna alongside Rosie O'Donnell, Lori Petty, and Tom Hanks.
