Octavia Spencer is having a helluva week. The “Hidden Figures” star was nominated for an Oscar this past Sunday, and while she didn’t win, the actress is still starting the month off right: She’ll host “Saturday Night Live” this Saturday, March 4.
This will be Spencer’s first time hosting the variety program, and during a red carpet interview at the Oscars, she admitted that she’s nervous about the gig. “I’m terrified,” she told E!’s Ryan Seacrest. But we’re betting that Spencer, who was recently named Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, will do a great job onstage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
“I’m really drawn to stories that haven’t really been told,” Spencer said in a sit-down with Gloria Steinem at the annual Makers Conference last month. She suggested that movies should “show a broader spectrum of the people in the world.” “I want to see all shapes and sizes, all ages, all religions because that’s what our society is comprised of,” she added.
The “Zootopia” star formally announced her producing plans at the conference. “The role I’m destined to play is to be one of the greatest producers in Hollywood,” she emphasized. “It’s terrifying because it’s a huge undertaking, but I want to be a conduit for storytellers.”
Spencer won an Oscar in 2012 for her supporting role in “The Help.” Among her other credits are “Mom,” the “Divergent” franchise, and “Snowpiercer.”
You can still catch Spencer in “Hidden Figures” on the big screen. The drama is based on the true story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), brilliant African-American women who played an instrumental role in the space race at NASA.
Scarlett Johansson will host “SNL” the week after Spencer, March 11.
Check out a teaser for Spencer’s “SNL” episode below. “This feels right,” she says, looking around the studio confidently. It seems as though Spencer’s terror has abated — then again, she’s an award-winning actress.
@octaviaspencer makes her hosting debut this Saturday! #SNL https://t.co/KDApERMQSF
— @nbcsnl
