“People think I’m their aunt or something, Octavia Spencer says.
It really is crazy.
(In last yearsHidden Figures,her performance as a NASA mathematician garnered her another Oscar nomination.)
On-screen, Spencer is a quiet storm intense, poised, restrained.
In person, shes whip-smart, quick-witted, sophisticated but unfussy.
Ive never played a person who remotely resembles me.
Spencers new fame comes with professional opportunities that most actresses can only dream of.
If youre constantly chasing success, youre not really living in the moment.
The journey is whats fun.
Her mother died when she was just 18.
Ive always spent Christmas with my family, she notes.
Until I get married, Ill always spend Christmas with my family in Alabama.
An astute educator helped her cope by introducing her to mystery novels.
That gave her the motivation to decode every word.
Thats how my brain processes information now, she says.
I can always tell people, This is whats about to happen.
Its not like Im psychic or anything its just all there in the details.
I have been a detective my entire life.
I read all the books.
Im that person who could solve a cold case.
Spencer has even published two childrens novels, as a way of helping others like her.
Kids with dyslexia need to know that theyre not stupid, she says.
Some of the most creative people are dyslexic.
Youve got to have friends
Spencer entered the film world on the opposite side of the camera.
She worked in casting, and then as a production assistant.
At the time, I didnt really understand what it meant, Spencer remembers.
it’s possible for you to read for the nurse.
So I read for the nurse, and I got it.
Her scene was with Sandra Bullock, a fellow Southerner who became a close friend.
It was only one days work, but for Spencer it changed everything.
When I got that first job, that meant that I was a professional actress, she says.
Then I just had to do the work to become good at it.
But I was never afraid that it wouldnt happen, because it had already happened.
