Oscar nominations 2012: Octavia Spencer talks nod

Sure, Octavia Spencer picked up the Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Help, but that doesn’t mean the actress expected an Oscar nomination this morning. “I never ever ever had any presumptions about what this day would hold,” Spencer tells EW. “People were saying, ‘Oh you’re a shoo-in!’ And then we were down to that last [nomination] box… [Laughs] Thank GOD I hadn’t deluded myself.”

While Spencer is thrilled about her nomination for Best Supporting Actress, she still has a bone to pick with the Academy. Good friend and The Help director Tate Taylor was snubbed, despite the film’s nod for Best Picture. “It’s a bittersweet morning,” she says. “I would have loved to have Tate Taylor nominated as writer or director but… it’s bittersweet.”

Still, Spencer and Taylor took the time last night to pre-celebrate: “It was a celebration for this is where we are right now — in case nothing happens for any of us tomorrow, we need to celebrate this movie and how it’s touched the hearts of people around the world.” But don’t expect Spencer to participate in bashes two nights in a row, despite her nomination. “I’m not a big celebrator,” she says. “I’ve drank more wine this month than I’ve had in the past 15 years! It’s basically a bottle. Now I can say I’ve had a bottle of wine in a month. That’s about all I can do. I’m just going to do a lot of water now. If I’m going to celebrate, it’s going to be with a salty snack.”

(Reporting by Sara Vilkomerson)

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