Octavia Spencer has been “inspired” by her late mother, who passed away when the actress was just 18.
Octavia Spencer has been “inspired” by her mother.
The 45-year-old actress sadly lost her mother Dellsena when she was just 18 – five years after the death of her father – but has said that her mother’s “disadvantages” have helped influence her own decisions in life.
She said: “The woman who has inspired the most is my mother. I am a product of her disadvantages in life, and she tried to make sure that we took advantage of all of the opportunities that were afforded to us.”
The ‘Hidden Figures’ actress admits she “credits everything” to her mother.
She added: “We had more than she did, and a lot less than a lot of people, even to this day. So she is the one woman that I credit everything to.”
Since the passing of her mother, the ‘Zootopia’ star turns to her six siblings for advice, as well as some of her closest friends.
She told People magazine: “It depends on how big the problem, but I usually go to family first. And, you know, my closest girlfriends, especially if it’s men problem.”
Meanwhile, Octavia previously spoke about being overwhelmed by the support she has received throughout her life, especially through her career as an actress.
She said: “That really touches my heart because I have the luxury now of getting to choose … the characters that I play. One of the things that I like to do is choose movies … that will allow for a little escapism but also educate while entertaining, and I think ‘Hidden Figures’ does that on so many levels.”
Last year, Octavia was awarded with the prestigious pudding pot gong as she picked up the Woman of the Year accolade from Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
She said upon picking up her award: “That pot was hard to get. It was difficult to get, but it was one that will be forever indelibly etched in my memories. This has just been so much fun today.”
