Octavia Spencer Takes on Minny Jackson in THE HELP. By Marci Miller
Ocatvia Spencer steals the show as Minny Jackson, the outspoken maid in the new film version of the best-selling novel, THE HELP. However, its no accident that the accomplished actress won the coveted role, it was written with her in mind. In fact, Octavia was roommates with the film's director, Tate Taylor, during the time his childhood friend Kathryn Stockett was writing and trying to publish her first novel, THE HELP. As Tate Taylor tells it, "Octavia and I were roommates for four years, and the film's producer Brunson Green, Octavia and I all ran around. And since Kathryn modeled some of Minny's traits after Octavia, we felt no one else could play her but Octavia."
Octavia met Tate Taylor while working on the 1995 film, A TIME TO KILL, and has since gone on to star in such films as Dinner for Schmucks, The Soloist, Seven Pounds, Bad Santa and many more. We recently had the chance to speak to Octavia while she was in Atlanta promoting the film and found out what it was like to take on the now iconic role of Minny Jackson.
Where did you draw your experience from to be able to be so real and authentic in the character? Well, I think a lot of it began with the source material. Katherine wrote an amazing novel and Tate adapted it amazingly. You have to do a lot of research about the time period. And I worked with an acting coach, and built on the parts of Minn you didn't know about, like what her childhood was like. And I drew on all of the strong women that influenced my life. Like my mom, my sisters, my dear friends, Merly Evers...there are a lot of people. I think there were a lot of women who were like that.
I felt pressure wanting to make sure that Kathryn's material was in tact in my performance...I wanted to portray what she had originally intended and I wanted Tate to be happy. But most importantly, it's an homage to all the men and women whose backs built this country and I wanted to be truthful to them and to give them a voice. So, there wasn't any trepidation on my part. Because I also know the story. People that haven't read the book assume that it's the same type of depiction of African American women being not only subservient, but inferior. But I think we found out that there is not a superior or inferior, there is equality and that's what was important to me, to make sure that message was told.
Minny is dealing with abuse inside the home and outside the home, is there any kind of message you would give to women dealing with that now? I stopped judging Minny, because she is this dichotomy. To the world she is brave, but in her own home she is not. However, I realized that she is brave. Because everything she endured was for her children. But I think women have options now and you don't have to endure it. Be there for your children, but be healthy and happy. And get help if you are going through that type of abuse is what I would say because we have those resources now, they didn't have them then.
Do you cook? Minny is an amazing cook. Octavia is not a cook at all. It's not something I understand.
What other projects do you have coming up? I am writing and producing and coming up with my own material because there is a lack of great roles out there. For women of color, for shapely women of color, buxom women of color and lets just say "chubby" women of color. I am just enjoying the prospect of creating something that I don't have to act in that I can just be behind the scenes and enjoy. I don't know. But the world is my oyster and I'm just picking them open to see if there is a pearl inside.
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Did you have any concerns taking the role of Minny?
