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In the below interview, Anderson Cooper chats with Octavia Spencer, co-star of this summers hit The Help, as she and Viola Davis have been thrust once again into the spotlight, campaigning for trophies next year.

Of note is the assertion from Cooper that "a lot of big name people who were out there and being considered" for the role that would eventually go to Spencer, the sassy Minny Jackson.

That immediately got me thinking… "a lot of big name people?" Really, who else would've been considered for the role, that we can safely classify as a "big name?"

Spencer responds to Cooper's question about how she fought off the competition to get the part, by mentioning Queen Latifah, Mo'Nique and Jennifer Hudson as competitors. It's not entirely clear, from this interview anyway, if those 3 actresses were even interested; I'm just making the logical conclusion based on the conversation had in the video clip below.

But I believe this is the very first time I'm hearing those 3 names in relation to the film's cast. Watch: