Octavia Spencer teases “Ma 2” update, reveals which classic sitcom character inspired heavily-meme’d hairstyle in film

Joey NolfiFri, July 31, 2026 at 1:26 PM UTC

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Octavia Spencer in ‘Ma’Credit: Universal PicturesKey Points -

Octavia Spencer has previewed Ma 2 after a sequel to the popular project was first announced.

Spencer also confirmed speculation that her original Ma wig was directly inspired by ‘80s sitcom star Kim Fields’ Tootie from The Facts of Life.

The star also reacted to her character being spoofed by Regina Hall in the newest Scary Movie film.

Octavia Spencer was down to clown in the annals of pop culture history when it came to crafting her iconic Ma wig, while also providing an exciting new update on the heavily anticipated sequel Ma 2.

After director Tate Taylor exclusively revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he had an idea for a Ma sequel, Spencer offered a tease about what fans can expect from the affectionately meme’d modern camp-horror classic’s upcoming sequel.

“We are working hard on getting a great script out. [Production company] Blumhouse is the best at what they do. It’s going to be chock-full of surprises,” the Academy Award-winning Help (which Taylor also directed) star told Entertainment Tonight earlier in July.

Octavia Spencer in ‘Ma’; Kim Fields in ‘The Facts of Life’Credit: Anna Kooris/Universal Pictures; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

She also confirmed long-standing speculation that Kim Fields’ Tootie from The Facts of Life sitcom — which aired from late 1979 to 1988 — directly inspired Ma’s iconic wig from the first film.

“I’m surprised every time I see anybody don [the wig],” Spencer said in response to a question about how she felt when Regina Hall spoofed her Ma character in the most recent Scary Movie satire film.

She continued, “People don’t even know that that hair was from Kim Fields’ character, Tootie, from The Facts of Life, because that would’ve been Ma’s influence. So, Kim Fields, Tootie!”

Upon Taylor first revealing to EW that a Ma sequel was in gestation, the director teased where he thinks the plot might take Spencer’s titular character, after the 2019 film’s ending suggested that she died in a house fire after a showdown with a band of rural teens she conned into an unorthodox friendship involving heavy drinking, excessive partying, and (of course) murder.

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“I don’t think we thought Ma was going to have this afterlife as this cult thing, and I think it’s worth discussing [a sequel]. I know Octavia would do it, that’s why I purposely left her death ambiguous!” Taylor told EW in 2021, referencing the film’s wild popularity on social media, which has led to numerous memes, satirical takes, and general appreciation for the movie.

“My idea is that she’s moved to another town, and she has open houses in another city and kills people in the open house,” Taylor explained at the time of potentially switching up Ma’s career to shift from vet tech to killer real estate professional. “I think she’d be a real estate agent in the Pacific Northwest, and just murder white people looking at McMansions. That’s as far as I’ve gotten!”

The first Ma also starred Taylor and Spencer’s longtime friend, Allison Janney, in a small supporting role that marked yet another collaboration between the pals who’ve shared a bond for nearly 30 years coming up together in the industry.

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“Honey, Tate has a way of talking all of his friends into doing the craziest things,” Spencer previously told EW of reuniting a cast that also starred in his aforementioned 2011 Best Picture -nominated drama The Help. “We had a ball. [Allison is] so fun. You see what I had to do to her… that’s what she agreed to do!”

Watch Spencer discuss Tootie, Scary Movie, and Ma 2 in the video above.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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