Person

Octavia Spencer

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On IJR

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Person

Octavia Spencer

0 members

Overview

Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, and is the first black actress to receive two consecutive Oscar nominations. Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. Following a decade of brief roles in film and television, her breakthrough came in 2011 when she played a maid in 1960s America in the drama film The Help, for which she won several awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her performance in Ryan Coogler's biopic Fruitvale Station (2013), she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. Spencer received further Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for playing other women in 1960s America, the mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the biographical drama Hidden Figures (2016) and a cleaning woman in the fantasy drama The Shape of Water (2017). She also starred in the films Smashed (2012), Snowpiercer (2013), Get on Up (2014), The Divergent Series (201516), The Shack (2017), Gifted (2017), Instant Family (2018), Luce (2019), Ma (2019), Onward (2020), and Spirited (2022). Spencer had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Mom (20132015) and a starring role in the Fox teen drama series Red Band Society (20142015). She portrayed the lead role in the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told (2019–2023), and received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Madam C. J. Walker in the Netflix limited series Self Made (2020).

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“What I learn from them is to continue to enjoy the process and have that free spirit about approaching the work and to not be so rigid.”
— Octavia shares what it feel like to work with young actors in 2014.
“I’m at my happiest when I’m out in nature. When the sun is shining and birds are nearby and I’m sleeping and can appreciate the things around me.”
— Octavia speak on when she is happy in 2020.
“I see producers as the people who fit all the pieces together. I always felt that if I relied on other people to get me work, then I’d be out of work rather quickly, because, like you said, people only see you in these archetypal roles. By producing, I get to hold the reins a bit tighter while providing opportunities for other marginalized storytellers.”
— Octavia in a conversation with Riz Ahmed in 2020.
“For me, it’s about embracing our inner beauty and having it seen outwardly. The root of it is not about being valued for looks; it is about empowerment and Black women owning who they were and their own place in history.”
— Octavia talk about inner beauty in 2020.
“I should be married and have 19 kids, And now I’m thinking my eggs are dying on the shelf. They’re going to go past their expiration date. But it’s what I chose, so I’m fine with that decision.”
— Octavia speak on not having kids in 2020.
“I used to hate reading out loud as a kid because of my dyslexia, so my books are a message to kids. It doesn’t matter what your situation is in life – your path is what you choose it to be.”
— Octavia speak on why she wrote books in 2020.

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

On IJR

No public IJR answers mention Octavia Spencer yet. As people ask about it and share their answers, they'll appear here.

Overview

Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, and is the first black actress to receive two consecutive Oscar nominations. Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. Following a decade of brief roles in film and television, her breakthrough came in 2011 when she played a maid in 1960s America in the drama film The Help, for which she won several awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her performance in Ryan Coogler's biopic Fruitvale Station (2013), she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. Spencer received further Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for playing other women in 1960s America, the mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the biographical drama Hidden Figures (2016) and a cleaning woman in the fantasy drama The Shape of Water (2017). She also starred in the films Smashed (2012), Snowpiercer (2013), Get on Up (2014), The Divergent Series (201516), The Shack (2017), Gifted (2017), Instant Family (2018), Luce (2019), Ma (2019), Onward (2020), and Spirited (2022). Spencer had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Mom (20132015) and a starring role in the Fox teen drama series Red Band Society (20142015). She portrayed the lead role in the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told (2019–2023), and received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Madam C. J. Walker in the Netflix limited series Self Made (2020).

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“What I learn from them is to continue to enjoy the process and have that free spirit about approaching the work and to not be so rigid.”
— Octavia shares what it feel like to work with young actors in 2014.
“I’m at my happiest when I’m out in nature. When the sun is shining and birds are nearby and I’m sleeping and can appreciate the things around me.”
— Octavia speak on when she is happy in 2020.
“I see producers as the people who fit all the pieces together. I always felt that if I relied on other people to get me work, then I’d be out of work rather quickly, because, like you said, people only see you in these archetypal roles. By producing, I get to hold the reins a bit tighter while providing opportunities for other marginalized storytellers.”
— Octavia in a conversation with Riz Ahmed in 2020.
“For me, it’s about embracing our inner beauty and having it seen outwardly. The root of it is not about being valued for looks; it is about empowerment and Black women owning who they were and their own place in history.”
— Octavia talk about inner beauty in 2020.
“I should be married and have 19 kids, And now I’m thinking my eggs are dying on the shelf. They’re going to go past their expiration date. But it’s what I chose, so I’m fine with that decision.”
— Octavia speak on not having kids in 2020.
“I used to hate reading out loud as a kid because of my dyslexia, so my books are a message to kids. It doesn’t matter what your situation is in life – your path is what you choose it to be.”
— Octavia speak on why she wrote books in 2020.

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.