In an interview with The Daily Beast, Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer addressed diversity in film and her life post-Oscar win.
“Life is exactly the same,” shared the actress after being asked how her life has changed since winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Help in 2012. I have to lead a very small life in terms of what people think “Hollywood” is. It’s a full life for me, but I’m not jetting across the world. But life is good. I’m doing a TV series for Steven Spielberg called Red Band Society, and it’s the best pilot script I’ve ever read.”
The actress went on to say that she made the move from movies to television because the roles she was being offered after her big win were still too small to sink her teeth into.
“There are so few roles out there,” said the 44-year-old. “And even if it is a film that could be led by a black actress, how many times is that film going to get funded? Let’s just be real. But it’s not just black people. It’s Asians, it’s Hispanic people if you’re not Salma Hayek. It’s hard.”
Spencer isn’t the only one making the move from the big to small screen. Fellow Oscar-nominees Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, and Halle Berry have all also made the move to television over the past few years.
When it comes to diversity Spencer believes TV “is light-years ahead” of motion pictures.
“I think diversity is something that should be celebrated because it’s who we are as a world, and little kids need to be able to turn on the TV and see real-world representations of themselves. It’s very important,” she said.