Sandra Bullock on Octavia Spencer
Friday, August 12, 2011 at 2:10PM 
Methinks Octavia Spencer, currently stealing The Help (reviewed) as pie-baking Minnie, already has one Oscar vote. Here's Sandra Bullock on her former co-star from A Time To Kill (1996):
Her energy and personality are so infectious that any room she walks into, everyone wants to be her friend, or just hang out with her and be in her space. Now, that doesn't always mean someone like that has a talent for the camera, but in this case it does.
When you meet her, you know she is destined to entertain. I know not all people with tremendous talent are given the opportunities that they so deserve, but in this case a lifelong friendship with Tate Taylor brought together two very talented people who deserve success and who are grateful for it. This opportunity will not go wasted or be abused by one fabulous Octavia Spencer.
That quote is from the new Backstage profile of Octavia Spencer in which Octavia's career thus far is mapped out. I didn't know this but it turns out that she was on the casting team of A Time To Kill before getting a role, her first. (I tried valiantly to find a photo of them together, but no luck). Spencer had previously intended to be a producer, not an actress. She credits Sandra Bullock for giving her the push!
Octavia Spencer, Oscars (11), Sandra Bullock, The Help, casting
Reader Comments (9)
I haven't seen the movie in ages but I believe she played a nurse? I could be mistaken.
Yay Octavia! I can't wait to see it. I remember her from Never Been Kissed, funnily enough, but she was always so funny to me in it. I also always remembered that one line of hers "Damn girl...you ~are~ a writer."
Sandra just seems like one of those people who radiate positivity, which is why she probably has had so much success in her life. She pays it forward.
It's always nice to hear stories about actors supporting each other, and this isn't the first time Sandra Bullock has been noted for giving another actor a leg up. Her support of Octavia and of the Canadian Ryans is lovely and never overstated. Brava Sandy.
.............don't make a Blind Side joke, don't make a Blind Side joke, don't make a Blind Side joke.....
Always will remember Octavia from, strangely enough, her blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene in Being John Malkovich. But when a woman pulls an elevator alarm and crowbars the door open on the 7 1/2 floor, how can you not?
Another great Bullock quote re Nicole Kidman and Practical Magic.
"I eventually found out Nicole and I have nothing in common, but we got along so beautifully. And the best thing was that we're not at all alike, but we enjoy each other for those very reasons. We love to sit down at a table with a bottle of wine, and have a great time, and talk about normal things, about boys, about kids, about clothes. It was very soothing. What I loved about working with Nicole was that everything was equal. Everything we had was equal -- the story line, our rehearsal time. It was rewarding to have that, and to have her opposite me, and to watch how she does things. It was a great education."
^ Ugh, Sandy is so beautiful. :')
Looking through her IMDb profile and she has played "Nurse" so many times it's actually kinda scary.
City of Lights : where did you get that quote from?
It's probably no wonder Sandy won the Oscar (however much it makes me cringe in terms of actual performance.) Likeability counts for a LOT, I should think, in terms of connecting with voters and collegues in the industry (although I suspect this is more important for women than for men, who are allowed to be more "difficult"? Except if you're James Cameron, at least the second time around.)