Mascot of the Month: Octavia Spencer

All but blending into the background

If you have ever watched Octavia Spencer, you almost don't notice her.  She is the believable one, the person that brings humanity to most any situation. Directors have cast her in Science Fiction, Historical movies, Inspirational movies, TV shows and more because she is not only a great actress, but remarkably relatable.

And, let's face it, when you have a love story with the swamp creature - you need someone that can make the story relatable (Shape of Water).

Or when the world is reduced to a single train - you need someone to root for.

She was nominated for an Oscar for playing an actual person in Hidden Figures. And then got out and got those ladies some actual recognition.

She won the Oscar for The Help with help from a scene so over the top, probably no one else could sell it.

She was also by far the most redeeming thing in the "inspirational" movie - The Shack.

AND she was a fabulous drunk Harriet Tubman on Drunk History.  Now that is range... a sappy "inspirational" movie and a sappy "millennial" TV show.

And she has been around for so long, it is hard to believe that it hasn't really been so long. As recently as 1999 she was still listed as "nurse in unit" on TV shows and the occasional movie, look her 1999 credits...

 1999 The X-Files (TV Series)
Nurse

- Millennium (1999) ... Nurse (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Roswell (TV Series)
Nurse

- Leaving Normal (1999) ... Nurse (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Chicago Hope (TV Series)
Nurse Jane

- Oh What a Piece of Work Is Man (1999) ... Nurse Jane (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Blue Streak
Shawna (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Being John Malkovich
Woman in Elevator (as Octavia L. Spencer) I'm going on a limb her and say Nurse in elevator.

 1999 Live Virgin
Agnes Large

 1999 L.A. Doctors (TV Series)
Bus Driver

- Forty-Eight Minutes (1999) ... Bus Driver (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Never Been Kissed
Cynthia (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Lansky (TV Movie)
Evelyn the Maid (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 Brimstone (TV Series)
Duty Nurse

- Faces (1999) ... Duty Nurse (as Octavia L. Spencer)

 1999 The Sky Is Falling
Nurse #2 

 

And so Mascot of the Month Is Octavia Spencer - without her supporting them, so many great performances would be a lot more hollow...