When you’re able to call something your ‘dream job,’ it’s a beautiful day in whatever profession you’ve chosen. That particular wisdom applies even more when you happen to be an actor like Octavia Spencer, and the dream job happens to involve a friend like Melissa McCarthy, which is exactly what happened on Netflix’s Thunder Force set. When it comes to this super-powered comedy’s formula for success, Spencer chalks the dream-like quality of the gig to her chemistry with not only her co-star, but also their shared writer/director, Ben Falcone.
CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb was able to speak with Octavia Spencer for the Thunder Force press day, and during that conversation, this particular dream was discussed. Even after winning an Academy Award and working with actors and directors like Guillermo del Toro, Chris Evans and Viola Davis, this opportunity represented an experience that couldn’t be beat. Spencer explained why in the following words:
Listen, I leave all the brilliant writing to Ben (Falcone). Whatever you see in that performance is all due to his direction. I had the best time, but it's also easy to play off of Melissa, I mean she gives you so much, that, you know, it was a dream job, honey.
Enjoying a friendship where she's known Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy before they were even married, Octavia Spencer’s Thunder Force role of Emily Stanton actually marks the first time that she’s made a film with her good friends. So getting to flex her superpowers on screen was only a side perk compared to the fact that Spencer actually got to clown around with McCarthy on the job. Taking into account the fact that Thunder Force also saw Identity Thief co-star Jason Bateman and Superintelligence love interest Bobby Cannavale enlisting to have fun with Melissa McCarthy, the fun she must bring to a set has to be something truly special.
Though fun in a film like Thunder Force is only as good as the participants that are playing the game. And while Melissa McCarthy is known to be a good time, Octavia Spencer surely has her own brand of unique shenanigans that only help ease things along. With both McCarthy and Spencer embodying versatile acting skill sets that see them easily making audiences laugh, cry or engage in any other emotion they’re seeking to inspire, it only makes sense that their pairing would eventually happen.
With any luck, Netflix’s Thunder Force will make sure that Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy don’t have to wait too much longer before they work together again. Come to think of it, this may be the experience that adds Spencer into the Ben Falcone Repertory Company, keeping her name in mind for plenty of cameos and co-starring gigs in the future. If you’re ready to see what a dream job looks like to Octavia Spencer, you can currently catch Netflix’s Thunder Force as it’s now available to the streaming public.
