Octavia Spencer has been awarded the Woman of the Year award by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
The 46-year-old actress was honoured with a parade along Masachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square, Massachusetts, on Thursday (26.01.17) where she greeted fans before she picked up the prestigious pudding pot gong, which has previously been received by Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster.
And the ‘The Help’ star feels honoured to receive the accolade and will "forever" cherish the memory.
She said: "That pot was hard to get. It was difficult to get, but it was one that will be forever indelibly etched in my memories. This has just been so much fun today."
And Octavia – who has been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars for her role in ‘Hidden Figures’ – is overwhelmed by the support she has received throughout her career.
She explained: "That really touches my heart because I have the luxury now of getting to choose … the characters that I play. One of the things that I like to do is choose movies … that will allow for a little escapism but also educate while entertaining, and I think ‘Hidden Figures’ does that on so many levels."
The event saw the brunette beauty take to the stage to perform James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’ with a student named Michael Wingate, rugby tackle an Alabama American football player, dance around with an Auburn cheerleader and throw a chocolate pudding in a student’s face because he was dressed up to look like the new US President Donald Trump.
Alongside a video of the star belting out the 1964 hit, which was regrammed from her publicist Ngoc Nguyen’s Instagram account, it read: "Singing for my "supper" @thehastypudding #Repost@littlengoc with @repostapp
Simply the Best. #HastyPudding #Roast @therealoctaviaspencer #JamesBrown#IFeelGood (sic).
And Octavia joked she will be aching all week after all the energy she exerted.
She quipped: "I think my thighs are going to hurt for a while."
After all the exercise Octavia enjoyed a roast dinner.
Meanwhile, ‘Deadpool’ actor Ryan Reynolds is set to receive the 2017 Man of the Year Award on February 3.
Octavia Spencer receives Woman of the Year award
