Oscar-nominee Octavia Spencer homages Mary Tyler Moore in accepting Harvard's Hasty Pudding award
Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer paid homage to Mary Tyler Moore and talked about her inspiring film roles Thursday, while picking up yet another award: Woman of the Year from Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
Fresh off her nomination for a second Oscar, the 44-year-old Hollywood standout was honored with a parade through the streets of Cambridge, followed by a roast and the presentation of her pudding pot.
'That pot was hard to get,' the Montgomery, Alabama native joked when asked how it compared with an Oscar. 'It was difficult to get, but it was one that will be forever indelibly etched in my memories. This has just been so much fun today.'
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Jubilant: Octavia Spencer, 46, cheerfully accepted honors from Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals Thursday
Spencer won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Minny Jackson in 2011's 'The Help. She was nominated Tuesday in the same category for her role in Hidden Figures, a film about the behind-the-scenes contributions of several black women in the early years of the NASA program.
Spencer, who played mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the critically-acclaimed motion picture, said she was touched by the fans who called her an inspiration Thursday.
'That really touches my heart because I have the luxury now of getting to choose ... the characters that I play,' she said. 'One of the things that I like to do is choose movies ... that will allow for a little escapism but also educate while entertaining.
'I think Hidden Figures does that on so many levels.'
To the victor go the spoils: Spencer said that getting the Woman of the Year honors would 'be forever indelibly etched in [her] memories'
Role model: The Academy Award winner was flattered by students who said they found her to be inspirational
Firebrand: Mary Tyler Moore - who died Wednesday at 80 - changed 'how we view women, and how we view independent women,' Spencer said in accepting the honors. The late star was snapped at a Senate hearing in 2009
Choosy: The actress said she's interested in roles 'that will allow for a little escapism but also educate while entertaining'
Mary Tyler Moore, the iconic actress who died Wednesday, changed 'how we view women, and how we view independent women,' according to Spencer.
'It's definitely a loss for the entertainment community as well as the public at large because she shaped a generation of independents,' she said, 'and she will definitely be missed.'
The Hasty Pudding award has been handed out annually since 1951 to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.
Enjoying the moment: Spencer beamed as she accepted a double kiss from Hasty Pudding members during the day's honors
Top of her class: Spencer's career remains scorching amid her second Oscar nomination in the past five years
Golden girl: Spencer, who captured an Oscar in 2012 for her role in The Help (left), is up for her second award for her role in Hidden Figures (right)
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