Quotes from Octavia Spencer

It may sound funny, but it's true: I tried to put myself through the 12-step program. I didn't want to attend a real meeting; my role didn't really require that, and I feel those meetings are sort of sacred, and they're anonymous for a reason. I tried to deal with some of my love of snacks - and I relapsed a lot.

I'm excited that I get to do what I love, and I'm benefiting through projects that speak to me.

Christian Louboutin, I love you, but honey, please! But when you have this much weight, you've got to give us a little platform. Sorry! The shoes are stunning though. An ounce of pain, it's worth it.

There are so few roles out there. 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. It's hard to get films funded.

I'm one of those people if you ask, 'What's your favourite song?' I'm going to give you five. I don't have just one favourite.

I think that young women and little girls need to see that they don't have to be the damsel in distress. They don't have to not show their strength. They don't have to be whatever the stereotype is or the tropes that we go to in our minds.

Civil rights happened because youth got involved. The youth stood up and helped to break the pattern that their parents had got accustomed to living. The next generation has to take that stand for whatever it is, socially, that they are involved in.

I'm dyslexic, and it takes me longer to memorize and to embody the character so I can really own it.

The mentality of how we treat one another needs to be examined - especially how we treat our men of color.

I think if I weren't so squeamish, I would have been some sort of forensic analyst. And I can't do anything with a microscope, because then I start thinking about the world of germs around us.

Let me tell you, my career went from zero to 900. Its hard keeping up with that pace, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

You have to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow. And as an actor, you don't become Meryl Streep by doing the same type of comedy. You get there by being challenged. And unfortunately, there's a lack of roles for women of color, so you actually have to be the engineer creating some of those roles.

For me, when you have to prepare to play God, and then walking away from that, you realize just how tough God's job is. I don't want that job.

I don't think that moms, with all that's going on in our society today, would want to put their kids in front of something that will be disheartening rather than uplifting.

I'm not trying to be a different weight. I want to be a different body type so that I'm not an apple. I just want to be a pear!

There is racism all over the United States. Most Southerners I know, we definitely find ourselves defending our heritage.

I hope that in some way that I can be some sort of beacon of hope, especially because I am not the typical Hollywood beauty.

Let's just say that I have a tendency if I am uncomfortable in a situation to speak my mind.

Auditions make me nervous; any time I have to perform, I get stage fright.

There are enough negative images of Black women out there and I did not want to portray Dorothy Vaughn in any stereotype. I wanted to make sure that her integrity was preserved.

People who are overweight face discrimination. African-Americans face discrimination. Women face discrimination and sexism. So I don't have the luxury of not being tolerant of anyone.

I want to see more women as producers.

I want to see more women behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, there's a lack of roles for women of color, so you actually have to be the engineer creating some of those roles.