‘The Help’ Actress Octavia Spencer Says She Encountered ‘More Racism’ In L.A. Than Alabama

Actress Octavia Spencer She said that she had experienced it. “more racism“ when she first moved to Los Angeles than she ever had during her childhood in Alabama.

The 52-year-old actress, known for movies like “The Help” “Hidden Figures,” She spoke about her experience with what she called racism upon moving to L.A. in a recent interview interview Podcast “WTF with Marc Maron.”

Maron was also surprised to learn that Spencer had positive memories of her childhood in Montgomery, Alabama.

“It’s a beautiful place and beautiful people. You know, I love being from there,” The actress stated.

“But it’s like, it’s heavy, man. Right?” Maron replied.

“I think everywhere is heavy. Everywhere has its history. You know what I mean? It’s … I think everywhere has problems,” Spencer said. “You can’t deny that southern history is intense,” She continued, before stating that her experience in Alabama was less racist. 

“Well, what’s beautiful for me is that stuff preceded me. You know, I was a child of the ’70s … You know, as you grow older and the things that you can remember. That wasn’t a part of my history. I learned about it. It’s not everything … anything that I experienced.”

“My mother definitely, you know, taught us about the world and the realities, the harsh realities of the world and history,” The “Self Made” star continued. “But growing up in Alabama, I’m going to be honest, I felt more racism when I first moved [to Los Angeles] than I ever, ever had in Alabama.”

Spencer stated that she expected Los Angeles would be progressive. She thought back to the time she was thinking. “Oh, California is gonna be this free and liberal thinking place,” But she claimed that she was singled while shopping in a shop. 

“It is so funny. It’s right out of ‘Pretty Woman,’” She spoke of the experience. “I remember going into a shop and being followed, like, at first, I didn’t even — I was just, like, so excited, like just walking around, and then I realized that I was being followed.”

She continued: “It was kind of strange in that way,” The incident was described as “glaringly obvious,” but that she doesn’t believe she’s been discriminated against since then.

Spencer made her film debut with the adaptation of “A Time to Kill” 1996. Before her breakthrough role, she continued to play small roles over the years. “The Help,” She was awarded several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2012