The Help actress was clearly emotional after deservedly winning the Best Supporting Actress gong at the 2012 Academy Awards. Having collected a slew of accolades and awards throughout the season including a BAFTA, Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award, the 39-year actress was the firm favourite to receive the prestigious honour. Speaking in front of her fellow peers the American star who was presented with her award by Batman actor Christian Bale, jokingly thanked the Academy for “putting me with the hottest guy in the room.” Getting serious, the actress clearly tried to suppress her emotions thanking her family in her native Alabama, her Help castmates and the film’s producer, movie legend Steven Spielberg for “changing my life.”
Although she has worked in the film industry for years, Octavia’s role as Minny Jackson in The Help –a film about a white journalist who persuades black maids in the Deep South to write a book about their treatment –is adapted from the Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel of the same name. The film has become a cultural touchstone and box office sensation while making Spencer a household name. Speaking to reporters backstage at the Oscar ceremony, the actress shared that she hoped her award signified a “hallmark of more for young aspiring actresses of color. I hope that in some way I can be some kind of beacon of hope, especially because I am not the typical Hollywood beauty.”
