Octavia Spencer: LeBron James Helped Me Secure Appropriate Pay For Netflix Series

Netflix is staying on stride to diverse programming. The streaming service will soon start a new limited series co-produced by Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and NBA star LeBron James. According to Variety, the two will be partnering on a new show starring Spencer as Madam C.J Walker. The hair care mogul paved the way and broke barriers as America's first Black self-made millionaire.

During a Saturday panel at Sundance Film Festival, Spencer revealed that LeBron James helped her with her Netflix deal. "I have to say when I was negotiating my deal for ‘Madam C.J.,' LeBron James had to intervene," Spencer said. "So we need all our male counterparts to be in the with us."

Octavia used this moment to shed light on advocating for more male allies. At last year's Sundance Film Festival, Spencer acknowledged the pay gap between white women and women of color. It was also revealed that her co-star in the 2011 film The Help, Jessica Chastain, helped Spencer receive five times her original asking amount.

Madam C.J. Walker, the limited series Spencer is set to star in, is based on On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, a comprehensive bio on the revered mogul, written by her great-great-granddaughter, A'Lelia Bundles.