Octavia Spencer says she experienced more racism in Los Angeles than in Alabama

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Actress “Ma” Octavia Spencer claimed that Los Angeles, California struck her as far more racist than her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama.

During a recent podcast interview, Spencer explained that while she anticipated the Blue State city would be a ‘place of free and liberal thought’, once there she experienced ‘more racism’. than she had ever had in Alabama.

Spencer, who starred in major Hollywood pictures ‘The Help’ and ‘Hidden Figures’, made her telling comments on the ‘WTF with Marc Maron’ podcast.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 02: Octavia Spencer attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon Studios’ ‘Meet Me’ at the Directors Guild of America on December 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images) (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

The topic arose when the actress spoke fondly of her upbringing in Montgomery, Alabama, which apparently caught Maron off guard because of stereotypes about black people living in the Deep South.

Spencer claimed: “‘It’s a beautiful place and beautiful people. You know, I like being from there.” Maron asked, “But it’s like, it’s heavy, man. Right?”

Breaking the stereotype, the actress said, “I think everywhere is heavy. Everywhere has its story. You know what I mean? I think everywhere is trouble.”

Although she acknowledged, “You can’t deny that the southern story is intense.”

Still, Spencer opened up about how she grew up after the most racist period in Alabama history, telling Maron, “Well, what’s beautiful to me is that this stuff preceded me. You know, I was a kid in the 70s. You know, as you grow older and the things you remember. It wasn’t part of my story. I learned about it. It didn’t. isn’t all I’ve been through.

Maron asked if racism affected her family in any way, to which she replied “No”.

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Octavia Spencer attends Apple Original Film’s ‘Spirited’ New York Red Carpet at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 7, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

Spencer said, “My mom, you know, definitely taught us about the world and the realities, the harsh realities of the world and history.”

“But growing up in Alabama, I’ll be honest, I felt more racism when I moved here than ever, ever in Alabama,” she added, mentioning her move to Los Angeles.

Maron found the comment compelling, commenting that it made sense because people of different races have lived together in the southern United States “since the beginning” longer than in California.

Spencer agreed, noting that her initial perceptions of LA had been shattered when she got there. She said she remembered thinking, “Oh, California is going to be this free and liberal place of thought,” but ended up feeling judged walking into a store.

“It’s so funny. It’s straight out of Pretty Woman,” she said, referencing a scene where high-end store workers judge Julia Roberts’ call girl character for having dared to enter their establishment.

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Spencer explained, saying, “I remember walking into a store and being followed, like, at first I didn’t even know I was so excited, like I was walking around, then I realized I was being followed.”

“It was a little weird that way,” she added, saying the incident was “glaringly obvious,” but she hadn’t faced much discrimination since.

Fireworks over North Hollywood as seen from Burbank on Saturday, July 4, 2020 in Burbank, California. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Gabriel Hays is associate editor of Fox News Digital.

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