Oscars made strides, but Octavia Spencer wants more growth

Even though Octavia Spencer is pleased with the record number of blacks nominated for acting Oscars this year, she’s still disappointed by the lack of recognition for other people of color.

“Diversity doesn’t mean just black,” Spencer said in a recent phone interview to promote her new film, “The Shack,” which comes out March 3. “I’m excited that more black people are being recognized. That’s what I would like to see arrive for other people of color, because they are so valued and underserved. I think when we ask the public, the paying public, to support films that don’t portray them on-screen, that’s hypocrisy.”

Spencer is one of six black actors up for an Academy Award at Sunday’s ceremony. Dev Patel, who is of Asian descent, is nominated for best actor. Spencer is nominated for her role in “Hidden Figures,” which is nominated for best picture.

The diverse slate is a far cry from the past two years, when all-white acting nominees led to the social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and a national conversation on race in Hollywood. It also compelled Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of The Academy, to implement a plan restructuring the organization’s membership to try and make it more reflective of women and minorities. These days, Spencer has her own production company and believes she could be one of Hollywood’s “biggest producers” in the near future. Spencer wants to create a lane for women and people of color to share their untold stories in film, much like “Hidden Figures.”