A career as captivating as Angela Bassett‘s undoubtedly has peaks and troughs that skew both public and private. And the superstar opens up about all in the November / December issue of Essence Magazine. 

Covering the latest edition of the publication in illustrated form, Bassett draws on a variety of narratives to make clear that her story is one defined by colors – both light and dark, challenges, and overcoming the tallest of obstacles.

Within her candid feature, the 64-year-old talks about the “butterflies” she felt on set reprising her role as matriarch Ramona in Marvel’s upcoming blockbuster, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘ (which premieres on November 11).

Bassett also waxed candid about the juxtaposition between breaking through with her Oscar-nominated portrayal of Tina Turner in the biopic ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ and the reality that it didn’t multiply her opportunities at the time.

Head below for quotes on these and more…

On The Sentiment on the Set of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’:

“There are these two things that we were dealing with: the loss of our leader [Chadwick Boseman] and trying to meet the expectations of an audience,” Bassett says, noting she felt butterflies her first day back on set. “The mantle is monumental, but it’s not so heavy that we can’t accomplish what we all gathered together to do.”

Excerpt on The Aftermath of Playing Tina Tuner In What ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’:

Bassett soon received an Oscar nod herself, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, for her portrayal of Turner at the 66th Academy Awards. But the accolade did not necessarily lead to more acceptance in Hollywood. “That’s perhaps when I thought, Okay, I’ve made it—but then the phone didn’t ring for a year and a half after that,” she remembers. “But I’ve made it, I thought. Yes, you’ve made it, but now there are other things to consider.”

She says she had to tell herself, “You were number one. How do you remain number one? It’s not always possible. Interest in our stories ebbs and flows over time, and not always are women like me, darkened by the sun, cast as the lead. So you have to look for other opportunities, where you can have a voice and make your mark and say something.”

On Her Take on Payment Over the Course of Her Career:

“We all should be compensated fairly, and that was one of my mantras. I would say to myself, I want to work. I want to work consistently, and I want to be paid fairly, and that has happened.

 Listen, even after What’s Love, I’ve done projects where you’re getting paid the minimum. The whole thing, they’re going to pay you $5,000. I think I did that last year. I’ve directed where it’s like, are they even paying me? I don’t know. I’m not checking for it, because I’m learning. It’s not always about money. Sometimes it is, and a lot of times I’ve turned things down because the project’s not right, or the situation’s not right, or the story’s not right. You always want the muse to show up. As they say, all money ain’t good money.”

Director Ryan Coogler on Bassett:

“She was always there on time and right where you needed her to be.She has an incredible positive energy to her and a phenomenal work ethic. Sometimes she would hang out on set in between setups and was always game for anything. She’s been doing it at this level for longer than anybody on set, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by her demeanor. She’s always excited and ready to go. Ready to do her stunt work, ready to do the big dialogue scenes, ready to do the easy stuff. She leads by example.”

Bassett’s Husband & Award-Winning Actor Courtney B. Vance on His Wife:

 “I don’t know anybody else like her. She’s once in a generation; once in a lifetime. I always tell her that the world is waiting for her Oscar, so that we can lift her up 30 years past when we should have.”

Your thoughts?

[Photo Credit: Essence / Darius X. Moreno]

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