Gianni Paolo said he made sure to pay back the Oscar winner when he was able.

Octavia Spencer paid for Power star to get a publicist when he was $20K in debt: ‘Didn’t ask for the money back’

Gianni Paolo said he made sure to pay back the Oscar winner when he was able.

By Mekishana Pierre

Published on August 12, 2025 05:07PM EDT

Octavia Spencer; Gianni Paolo. Credit:

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Anna Webber/Getty

Octavia Spencer was really leaning into those maternal instincts after playing the titular role in *Ma*.

During a recent appearance on Harry Jowsey's *Boyfriend Material* podcast, Spencer's *Ma* costar Gianni Paolo revealed that the Oscar winner helped him out when he was in a tight bind with a $20,000 price tag.

Paolo told Jowsey that after appearing in four episodes of the Starz drama *Power*, he had racked up 20 grand in credit card debt and most of his paycheck from *Ma* went to his agent, manager, and the rest of his team.

"I didn't have any money for a publicist because at this time, this was pre-*Ma*-coming-out and I was like, I just can't spend $5,000 a month for a publicist," Paolo explained. "I only made $6,000 on the movie. I'm in $20,000 worth of credit card debt. So, I'm like, I'm just not going to get a publicist."

Dante Brown, Gianni Paolo, Octavia Spencer, and McKaley Miller in 'Ma'. Anna Kooris/Universal

Before the promotional tour for the film began, Paolo recalled Spencer inviting the cast to her house for dinner. "She was talking about doing press for the movie and this was my first real big thing. So, I didn't know anything," he admitted. "And she basically was like, we're going to do press [get a] publicist. And I told her, I don't have the money to do that. I'm not going to get a publicist."

He noted that the dinner had been on a Friday night, and by Monday, Spencer had handled the situation.

"She had called her publicist, paid for it completely, and then set me up with her whole team," Paolo revealed. "And then [she] said, 'Now you have a publicist.' She didn't ask for the money back. Never."

Despite Spencer not asking to be paid back, Paolo said he made sure to wire her the money after he shot his first episode of *Power Book II: Ghost*, which aired its first episode in the year after *Ma* premiered.**

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Although Paolo didn't mention whether he'd be making an appearance in the recently announced *Ma* sequel, it would serve as a sweet reunion for the stars behind Chaz and Ma.

** confirmed in June that a sequel to the 2019 horror hit was in the works, with a source additionally revealing that original director Tate Taylor will return to produce alongside John Norris.

A representative for Spencer said she'd return for the sequel to her *Help* director and longtime friend Taylor's cult hit, which followed a reclusive mother (Spencer) who, with sinister intentions, befriends a group of teens (played by Paolo, Diana Silvers, Corey Fogelmanis, and others) in rural Mississippi.**

No other details about the *Ma* sequel were available — including who will direct — outside of production company Blumhouse teasing, "*Ma* fans, lovers, and apologists, this one's for you," on social media. "Don't make her drink alone this time around."

Octavia Spencer at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys.

Amy Sussman/Getty

Since its release, *Ma* has become a viral sensation, with social media users consistently producing memes related to the film, including a movement where fans created comical photos that spliced Spencer's character into other notable projects — with even the actress herself eventually getting in on the joke and posting creations of her own.

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The popularity marked a special career moment for Spencer, who joined the project after she told EW she grew weary of seeing Black people "always" die in horror films.

"There are archetypes people only want to see me as," she told EW at the time of release ("wise characters" wearing "period wigs and costumes," as Taylor noted). "So I had to change that for myself [and] the next young woman of color to be able to play every type of role."**

Watch Paolo's full appearance on *Boyfriend Material* above.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Celebrity”