Octavia Spencer

Hidden Figures’ Role Added Up Perfectly For Octavia Spencer

... imagination and creating. He’s just happy that he’s been given the chance to play such a big role after a slow – but steady – career trajectory. “I’ve started doing a lot of different stuff. I’ve done extra work. I’ve done commercials. I’ve done background work. I’ve done supporting roles. I’ve done lead roles,” Duffield says. “I think my progression through the industry is something that’s consistently changing. “I think every role is different and to be able to land a role as you see on screen, ‘Beyond’ is an absolute dream come true. For me, it’s another step on my journey as an actor, and it’s amazing.”. Other news. Keep digging: REELZ has renewed the original documentary series “National Enquirer Investigates” for a second season. New episodes begin 6 p.m. April 12 and will kick off with the story of country legend Dolly Parton’s meteoric rise to fame while fighting to keep her personal life away from the spotlight. Coming back: The fourth season of Amazon’s Emmy-nominated, Gold Parents’ Choice Award-winning original kids series, “Annedroids,” is scheduled to debut March 3 on Prime Video. It’s a ...

Viola Davis Wins Best Supporting Actress For Fences

... for the big screen the same stage role that won her a 2010 Tony Award, Davis triumphed in the Best Supporting Actress category, joining the likes of Hattie Mc Daniel, Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson, Mo’Nique, Octavia Spencer and Lupita Nyong’o as one of only seven black actresses to have won the same award since the Academy’s inaugural ceremony in 1929. After thanking the Academy, Davis delivered an emotionally charged speech. “There’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place — and that’s the graveyard,” she began. “People ask me all the time, ‘What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?’ And I say, ‘Exhume those bodies, exhume those stories — the stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost.’ I ...

Ryan Gosling, Octavia Spencer Reveal Their Ideal Seatmates

... it's a big family affair [all three starred in 2011 nominee The Help]. And I'd want to be in the front row. The thought of having to walk up to the podium is nerve-racking for women because there are no railings and you are in high-heeled shoes and have to hold the bottom of your skirt. No one wants to face-plant with a billion viewers watching like poor Jennifer Lawrence did." — Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) shown sitting between Emma Stone (La La Land) and Viola Davis (Fences). J. "I would love to sit with Oprah Winfrey. My mom is coming with me. She's the hugest fan ever, and it's her dream to meet her. I met Oprah at an event in London, and I thought about calling my mom and saying, 'Just get in the car and get over here!' She is so calm and collected, but she will lose it while meeting Oprah. I want to see that moment!" — Naomie Harris (Moonlight) shown sitting next to Oprah Winfrey (13 th producer). "I'd love to be between Jeff Bridges and Denzel, but I'd be too intimidated to talk to ...

The Tide Has Changed, But We Still Have A Ways To Go

... gatekeepers] still aren't inclined to greenlight a movie that's starring a person of color, without a long list of White box-office people," says Spencer, who starts in " Hidden Figures." "Are we where we should be? No. We have some ground still to cover, but I'm optimistic because of the year we're having.". Spencer also says that she doesn't attribute the increase of nominated films starring people of color to the #Oscars So White  social media campaign, which first  emerged in 2015 and returned in 2016 to criticize the industry's marginalization  of performers and filmmakers from underrepresented groups. Without specifying what she believes caused the change, Spencer goes on to describe her and other Black thespians' future projects. I know that I have projects coming up, and I know that Viola [Davis] and Taraji [P. Henson] have projects coming up. I know Idris Elba is headlining a few ...

Octavia Spencer Doesn't Want Hollywood Resting On Its Laurels

... six years ago for best supporting actress, she played a maid in “The Help.”. “We are multifaceted people,” said Spencer. “Yes, women of color served in people’s kitchens and cleaned people’s houses. But there are African-American doctors, scientists and lawyers. Those are the types of stories that we also want to see presented in film.”. Stories with a historical perspective resonate with her the most. She’s developing a series about entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker, one of the first female millionaires in the United States (she will also star in it), and co-producing a HBO series about the Jonestown Massacre in Guyana. The actress said her production company won’t be limited to telling Black stories. “If it’s a white story that hasn’t been told, it’ll be told,” she said. “If it’s a story about a Latin American, Asian-American, (I’ll) ...

Janelle Monáe, Octavia Spencer Surprise Revolutionary Engineer Raye Montague

... for her contribution to history. “You are no longer hidden. We see you, we salute you and we thank you,” Spencer says. Last month, Montague’s incredible story went viral after an interview with THV 11 News. When she graduated from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College, now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, with an engineering degree, she put the degree to good use and got a job with the Navy. Initially, she was at the bottom watching her Ivy League-graduate peers run the 1950 s UNIVAC computer next to her. Her luck changed when the engineers all got sick and she got the chance to run the UNIVAC all by herself. STORIES RECOMMENDED FOR YOU. Getting recommendations just for you. For the next 14 years, Montague would become so skilled with computers, she would be transferred to designing and ...

Octavia Spencer Strikes An Elegant Pose In Custom Marchesa

... many show business pals. RELATED ARTICLES. Share this article. She posed with Salma Hayek and Laura Dern, who both stunned in dazzling black dresses, while also making time to share a smooch with the handsome Michael Strahan. Oscar veteran: Octavia already has one Academy Award from her role in 2011's The Help. Octavia is nominated for her second Academy Award today. She was previously honored with a Best Supporting Actress award for 2011's The Help. This year's the Fruitvale Station actress is up for an award in the same category for the role of mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the historical drama Hidden Figures. Kiss for the camera! The 44-year-old talent stopped to share a quick kiss with friend Michael Strahan at the awards. Everyone's there! The Hidden Figures actress posed with Salma Hayek and Laura Dern who both ...

Octavia Spencer Reveals The Role She Was 'destined To Play

... from the audience. “It’s terrifying because it’s a huge undertaking, but I want to be a conduit for storytellers ― men, women, gay, straight, black, white, Asian, latino, Indian, native. All those stories deserve to be told, especially if they’re compelling.”. In the role of producer, one she has already begun exploring , Spencer is very clear on the types of projects that she wants to work on. (She is currently set to produce and star in a limited series about African-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Madam C. J. Walker.). “I choose things that touch me or resonate within my heart,” said Spencer, “and that’s what I want to put out into the world: things that will inspire, things that will enlighten, things that will educate ― but will also allow for some escapism, because God knows we need some right now.”. Jerod ...