Happy 51, Octavia!
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 2:57PM by Jason Adams
Three-time Oscar nominee (and of course one time winner) Octavia Spencer is heading into the second half of her centennial today and we'd love to wish her a very happy day -- no matter how high or lowbrow the project I am always happy when she shows up...
I still laugh at every single Ma meme for goodness sake! I watched all of Thunder Force and didn't hate myself by the end credits! That says a lot about somebody's appeal.
Out of the three roles that Spencer has been nominated for -- as Zelda in The Shape of Water, Dorothy in Hidden Figures, and the diabolical pie-stress Minny in The Help (which she won for) -- which is your favorite? I'm gonna go against the grain and say Zelda, but then that's the only one of those three movies I actually like. And no she's not doing anything she hasn't perfected a hundred times before in it but that's why she's our Thelma Ritter.
Bigger question: what movie that she didn't get nominated for would you have given her one? First one that popped into my head was Luce, a super movie that really got lost in the shuffle that year...
Octavia Spencer
Reader Comments (25)
She's inching towards joining The Inevitables as a two-time winner. We love the dual Supporting Actress victors club already and she's welcome to join.
Happy birthday Octavia! I still can’t believe this is the creepy lady that was on Ugly Betty. She really has literally been in everything!
Her second Oscar is inevitable at this point but I hope she wins in Lead the next time.
MA. Camp horror shlockfest at its best
LOVE the Thelma Ritter comparison.
Octavia will always have a special place in my heart for introducing me to the 7 1/2th floor:
https://youtu.be/T2Y7oo3iB40
Good calls on both Shape of Water and Luce.
She's good in basically everything, even if the movies aren't the best. Fruitvale Station and The Shape of Water are two of her best films.
She should have had more love for frutitvale St and so should the still undervalued MBJ,Love her as Minnie though,shit pies always win.
LOVE The Help (despite everything) and love her in it. It's been awesome to see her career flourish these past few years, something we've never really seen before for a Black character actress.
Her work in Hidden Figures is definitely my favorite of her nominated performances, which feels like it has a lot more professionalism, camaraderie, and gradations of melancholy than her other nominated roles. I really hated Luce, but I'm amazed at how much Spencer is able to do with that part. May or may not be on my ballot that year. I don't always love her, but I wish she had more changes to stretch herself like this.
Her National Board of Review winning performance in Fruitvale Station.
She'd be my Supporting Actress winner for "Fruitvale Station" in 2013.
Fun fact: She has a super small but memorable role in "Being John Malkovich" -- she's on the elevator the first time John Cusack sees the 7 1/2 floor, and shows him how to use a crowbar to get out.
She's already one of the greats no matter how awful that film she did with Melissa McCarthy was. Still, I would love to see her be in the MCU just to get that nice retirement money.
She was also the awfully named "Big Customer" in Beauty Shop. She has come a long way!
Fake /3rtful
What is this inevitable stuff? Nick Davis of Nick Flicks Picks had his own categories that I would recreate here. Your routine of me is lame.
I don't have to bash Meryl Streep ever again since The Academy did so with McDormand this year.
I really love Octavia - she's just such a warm and entertaining screen presence.
Of her nominated performance, her role in Hidden Figures is my favorite. I love the layers she brings to the film, and she knocks her big scene with Dunst out of the park - the audience I saw it with applauded. She brings a lot of star power to that film, but also real depth and a sense of dissatisfaction from the start.
She should have been nominated for Fruitvale Station. Both she and Melonie Diaz were memorable.
Wait...you don't like Hidden Figures? How!?!?
I mean, it's not break-the-mold filmmaking but how do you just not like it?
I think she's terrific in Luce, portraying an unusual character that happens to be emotional distant. Very unlike all of her other portrayals so there goes my vote. Also, let me mention that I love spotting her work as an extra. My two favorite cases are in the film Drag Me To Hell and in Alanis Morissette's "Everything" music video.
Morgan (the 1st) -- it's a fascinating true story obviously but I just remember the film itself being so aggressively pedestrian with a paint-by-numbers script that flattened out everything into eye-rolling obviousness. I'll admit I haven't given the film a whit of thought since seeing it in the theater so my memory's vague but I remember finding Taraji's performance especially insipid, playing a "brain" like she was in a 1980s movie. It's just really not my thing, that kind of movie. It was like nails on a chalkboard to me.
I think /3rtful is right on her inevitability. (Considering he's been super consistent about his 'The Inevitables' and more trolls use the 'That's not me' on true commenters I recognise you first and genuine /3rtful)
Yeah Three Artful is too distinct to imitate. If you hate his Inevitables, clearly inspired by his worship of Nick Davis, then just scroll past. You didn't even capture his voice, so why would we care about your fake protests? Be gone troll. Divisive but iconic, Three Artful and his The Inevitables are here to stay!
Luce!! She was great. Stirred strong but conflicting responses from me throughout.
Also very good in Fruitvale Station. She could have been nominated for both of those.
Want her to continue receiving more lead roles. Her range when given the right opportunities is extraordinary (Snowpiercer, Luce, Fruitvale). If there is anyone who deserves to join the Winters–Wiest Club of two-time supporting actress winners, it is Octavia Spencer.
How can we forget her performance in Rob Zombie's Halloween 2?!? She really makes you feel that knife!
It's Rachel Weisz that should have joined the two-time supporting actress winners list but, whatever.
Should've been nominated: Fruitvale Station (haven't seen Luce).
Of her nominated performances, I enjoyed them in this order...
1. The Help (uneven movie, but the acting is superb, and she packs a punch)
2. Hidden Figures (movie is solid--nothing more, nothing less, but her acting is a grade above...she subtly shades in the character with humanity)
3. The Shape of Water (eh... great movie, but not sure she needed this nomination. I'm happy she got another, though)
The quality of those movies from best-to-worst probably goes the opposite order.
I've loved her since Never Been Kissed, even though I didn't know her name until The Help. To look back on that movie now and think she's the one in that scene with an Oscar (and three total nominations) while Drew and Molly Shannon together have zero is why I love the unpredictability of life.
I hope she gets more leading roles! Ma will forever be a favorite of mine. That was my favorite moviegoing experience of 2018.