Actress Octavia Spencer arrives at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala at Palm Springs Convention Center on January 7, 2012 in Palm Springs, California.© Getty Images

Octavia Spencer reveals why A-list neighbors disapproved of her Halloween costume

The Help star had her sights set on recreating the FLOTUS' look for Halloween

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
November 2, 2023

While many a celebrity broke out their best and flashiest for Halloween this year, Octavia Spencer revealed that she has her own gripes when it comes to the spooky holiday.

The actress, 53, made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, November 1 and shared her take that her efforts to dress up were often not taken seriously.

"I make an effort, but I don't think it's appreciated," she told the late night host, and when he asked why, she simply responded: "Because I'm not really good at it."

WATCH: Octavia Spencer's best Halloween-themed movie

She detailed her experiences doing Halloween with her neighbors and A-list friends Melissa McCarthy (with whom she also co-starred in 2021's Thunder Force) and Ben Falcone, who live near her Lake Toluca, California home.

Octavia talked about going trick or treating with their two daughters, Vivian and Georgette, when they were younger. Vivian is now 16 and Georgette 13.

"Ben and Melissa are really good friends of mine, my neighbors. When their kids were [at a] trick or treating age, they LOVED to dress up, they loved it," she explained. "And I went trick or treating with them a couple times."

© Getty Images

Octavia recalled her experiences trick or treating with good friend Melissa's family

That's when the Oscar-winner recalled being "proud of myself" after her recent visit to the White House. "And I'd just bought a baseball cap with the White House emblem on it.

"And I thought 'I know what I'm going to be for Halloween. I'm just going to put this hat on and I'm gonna be Michelle Obama.'," she continued.

SEE: Octavia Spencer's home is almost identical to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's

Clearly, the Falcone-McCarthy family had gone all out with their costumes, as Octavia recounted: "I go to Ben and Melissa's, she's dressed like a burglar, she has a mask on. He's giving out candy, some kind of werewolf. And the kids were little chickens.

© Getty Images

Ben and Melissa's set costume standards ended up being too high for the Oscar-winning actress

"I was like 'Wow, I'm [impressed].' Then Melissa says 'Well, what are you?' and I'm like 'I'm FLOTUS!' And she didn't put it together."

Jimmy seemed to side with Melissa in the exchange, quipping back to the Hidden Figures star:"That's not a costume, a hat, really. In the same way a cherry isn't an ice cream sundae, a hat is not a costume."

RELATED: Michelle Obama's worries for daughters Malia and Sasha's health in her own words

A few days before her late night appearance, during which she promoted the upcoming docuseries Lost Women of Highway 20, she shared photos of herself on Instagram from the SAG-AFTRA picket line, and joked about their link to Halloween. "MY Halloween costume. Just kidding!!!

© Shutterstock

"And I thought 'I know what I'm going to be for Halloween. I'm just going to put this hat on and I'm gonna be Michelle Obama.'," Octavia recalled

"Last Friday, I had the great pleasure of catching up with @yvettenicolebrown and her friends Kim and Tony on the picket line." 

READ: Jessica Chastain teases The Help sequel that sparks mixed reaction – what she said

She continued: "If I'm being honest, I just knew by the end of the day we'd get word that an agreement had been reached. We didn't. 

"BUT, in other news, the #UAW has reached an agreement that has ended their 40 day strike. Woo hoo!! So in solidarity with striking workers across all industries, may we all receive fair compensation like our brothers and sisters of the #UAW."

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