Octavia Spencer: "I felt more racism in Los Angeles than in Alabama"

Renowned Hollywood actress Octavia Spencer said she got a big surprise when she moved to Los Angeles for her job. The Ma star said she hoped to come to "a free and liberal thinking place," but ended up experiencing more racism than in her hometown of Montgomery, Ala.

Speaking exclusively to the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Spencer was commenting on her "beautiful" childhood in Alabama when she was asked about black life in southern states. "I think everywhere is heavy. Everywhere has its history. You know what I mean? It’s — I think everywhere has problem [with racism]," responded the star of The Help and Hidden Figures.

And while she acknowledged that "you can’t deny that Southern history is intense," she said that she experienced more racism in other states considered to be more liberal. "I’m going to be honest, I felt more racism when I first moved here [Los Angeles] than I ever, ever had in Alabama," expressed the actress, diverging from commonly held opinions.

Spencer remarked that upon arriving on the west coast she thought, "Oh, California is gonna be this free and liberal thinking place." However, she said that she ended up feeling judged, like the day she entered a store and was followed, presumably with the assumption that she was going to steal.