“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.”

American actress and author

Octavia Spencer is an American actress and author. She is known for a career that has brought her major honors, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Her work spans film and television, and she has also written as an author. The recognitions listed above reflect the range of her career in performance and writing.