There are countless stories about Octavia Spencer’s kindness – from creating projects for underrepresented artists, to using her platform to advocate for disability representation, and being Ryan Reynold’s “obscenely gifted” and kind costar in Spirited. It seems everyone has a story about the Oscar winner. And here’s another one, this time from Octavia’s MA costar, Gianni Paolo.
The actor recently appeared on Harry Jowsey’s Boyfriend Material podcast where he spoke about how Octavia helped him out big-time when he was struggling with finances and was new to the industry.
In the chat, he explained, “I didn’t have any money for a publicist because at this time, this was pre-‘MA’ coming out and I was like, I just can’t spend $5,000 a month for a publicist. I only made $6,000 on the movie. I’m in $20,000 worth of credit card debt. So, I’m like, I’m just not going to get a publicist… And I told [Octavia], I don’t have the money to do that. I’m not going to get a publicist.”
After having dinner at Octavia’s house one evening where they discussed the issue, Gianni says within a few days, Octavia had worked her magic: “That was on like a Friday. On Monday, she had called her publicist, paid for it completely, and then set me up with her whole team.”
Hey there bestie – sign up to our FREE Newsletter for more kind, no-gossip celebrity news!
He added, “She didn’t ask for the money back. Never.”
But even so, Gianni knew what he had to do. “When I booked ‘Power’, I shot my first episode, got my first paycheck for ‘Power’ and then I wired her the money back.”
Gianni and Octavia are currently starring in the thriller MA which is due to get a sequel. Production company Blumhouse has confirmed Octavia will be returning for the new film but it’s not clear yet whether Gianni will return as well.
(Feature Image Credits: Lev Radin and Ron Adar/Shutterstock.com)
You Might Also Like:
Ms. Rachel & Mr. Aron Help Provide 2 Million Meals to Kids in Need
Anna Kendrick Donates Her Pay From ‘Woman of the Hour’ to Survivors of Violent Crimes
