Octavia Spencer

Viola Davis Wins Best Supporting Actress For Fences

... four-time nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea). On the precursor circuit, Davis emerged as the contender to beat, having taken major prizes from several critics groups and industry awards bodies. Her 2016-2017 awards haul includes an NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Award, a Critics Choice Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among others. In the Best Picture-nominated drama Fences, Davis plays Rose Maxson, the resilient yet emotionally scarred wife of Troy (Washington), an aging sanitation worker and former Negro League baseball player who spends his days lamenting the past and cursing the present as he grapples with momentary vices while maintaining a family in 1950 s Pittsburgh. “She’s a woman who sacrificed a huge part of her dreams, her needs, and her desires to make her family work,” Davis told EW about the character. “And when everything comes crashing down, her response, her fight, is ...

Octavia Spencer Reveals The Role She Was 'destined To Play

... an audience of hundreds at the MAKERS Conference on Monday night. “And that could have been dinner theater, and I would have been happy with that. Quite honestly, I think we need to change the scope of how we dream.”. And today, Spencer says she is expanding her dreams to include a new role: the role of Hollywood producer. 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. Octavia Spencer. During the Q&A portion of her conversation with Steinem, a young woman in the audience asked Spencer if she had a dream role, or a role that she felt destined to play that felt terrifying to her. “The role I’m destined to play is to be one of the greatest producers in Hollywood,” Spencer said without hesitating, to huge cheers 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. ...

Hidden Figures’ Role Added Up Perfectly For Octavia Spencer

... Spencer is proud to be part of “Hidden Figures” because it puts a spotlight on the women that they deserve. “To be recognized by the Golden Globes, SAG and now the Academy for this role is humbling. I am playing a woman who in her lifetime made these contributions to science, technology and math. And she went unheralded for it,” Spencer says. “For me, it’s coming full circle for her and her family. I’m appreciative of that.”. Spencer’s wish is that young girls who see the movie will realize that they can do great things and make their dreams come true. One thing Spencer has made clear is that she should never be mistaken for a mathematician. The Auburn University graduate got her degree in Liberal Arts. She does expect to be linked to Vaughn for the rest of her life, but that is not a problem for Spencer. Math’s not the only weakness for Spencer. After the success of “The Help,” everyone assumed Spencer was a good cook. It seems her cooking skills are as good as her math abilities. Long ...

Ryan Gosling, Octavia Spencer Reveal Their Ideal Seatmates

... Mahershala Ali, Nicole Kidman, Jeff Bridges and more also name their picks, from Oprah to Meryl (to Mom, of course). A. "Moonlight folks! Other people are amazing, but that's my family! Those are my people." — Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), shown sitting with, from left, his castmates Janelle Monae, Andre Holland and Trevante Rhodes. B. "It's perfect for me 'cause I sit next to my best friend Busy, so I wouldn't change a thing." — Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea), shown sitting next to Busy Philipps. C. "My son, Henry, is going with me, so I'm happy with that. I don't know who the hell else will be there. If I could pick someone? I'd be really happy to be sitting next to Meryl Streep. That would be wonderful. Meryl on one side and Henry on the other, I think we'd have a good time." ...

Janelle Monáe, Octavia Spencer Surprise Revolutionary Engineer Raye Montague

... hidden figure,  engineer Raye Montague , for breaking down racial and gender barriers in the Navy. The Oscar-nominated film “Hidden Figures” has opened the nation’s eyes to the forgotten story of the Black female human computers responsible for John Glenn’s launch into orbit. During the Monday, Feb. 20 telecast of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Spencer and Janelle Monáe thanked and honored 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, ...

Octavia Spencer Strikes An Elegant Pose In Custom Marchesa

... Awards. Award-winning style: The two-time Academy Award nominee is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hidden Figures. The Alabama born talent topped off her look with an asymmetrical bob complimented by simple diamond drop earrings. On the red carpet, the star was greeted by 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 ...

Octavia Spencer Doesn't Want Hollywood Resting On Its Laurels

... 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) tend to tell it.”. While Spencer prepares for the Oscars on Sunday, she also has the release of “The Shack” on the horizon. She plays God in the film adaptation of the novel by William P. Young; the book is about a father’s renewed faith following his daughter’s death. The film caught some backlash from some white Christians angered by the depiction of God as a curvaceous Black woman. But Spencer said it’s based on the perception of main character Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington). “This young boy was abused and so the relationship with this one male that should’ve protected him was fractured,” said Spencer. “And then a man takes his daughter ...

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

... it with my dollar. And when we stop supporting things with our dollars that don't represent all of us, then you'll see an explosion of diversity. "Hidden Figures" and "Moonlight" were both recognized with Oscar nominations this year. Spencer received her nod for portraying mathematician Dorothy Vaughan, one of three Black women whose work allowed NASA to send astronauts to space in the 1960 s. Spencer says that she initially didn't realize the "Hidden Figures" story was real. I totally thought it was a work of fiction. When history obscured these women's contributions, they were completely occluded from everything. You could go to NASA and find mentions in the archives, but Google it—which is what I did when I heard about it—and you didn't find anything. I thought it was like [her previous film] "The Help"—historical fiction. And then I was a little angry when I realized it ...