After four decades of praiseworthy performances, actress Angela Bassett has more than proved herself worthy of a spot among the greats. And while her awards, including an Emmy, a SAG and two Golden Globes, show that her peers recognize her talent, some folks are still fixated on her disappointed reaction to losing the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to Jamie Lee Curtis in 2023. In a new interview for the March issue of Town & Country, Bassett talks about how she felt in the moment, and spoiler alert – she’s not apologizing.
While some criticized her for allowing her face to show her disappointment on camera when the presenters called Curtis’ name, Bassett says she should have been allowed to be in her feelings when she didn’t receive an honor she believed she deserved.
“I found it interesting, “ she said. “Interesting that I wouldn’t be allowed to be disappointed at an outcome where I thought I was deserving.”
Adding that she has nothing but respect for Curtis and her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” she believed that after her portrayal of Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” 2023 was her year.
“I love applauding people. But in that moment…I have put in: put in the time, put in good work over time,” Bassett said. “I didn’t think that was a gift. I thought it was a given.”
Judging from the reaction her reaction received on social media, plenty of other people thought it was a given too.
After her 2023 snub. Bassett was presented with an honorary Oscar in 2024, and she used her acceptance speech to honor trailblazing Black actresses like Ruby Dee and Cicely Tyson for the work they did to open doors for future generations.
“It was standing on their strong, spiritually fortified shoulders that I often was sustained, and I thank them for every sacrifice, every doubt, every disappointment, every rejection, every triumph that I know they experienced along the way,” she said. “Because had it not been for their resilience, continuing to fight through their fears and the uncertainty and their willingness as they fought for every role, I would not have had a representation of what was possible for me.”
For her next act, Bassett is taking a turn as Evelyn Mitchell, president of the United States, starring alongside Robert De Niro in the Netflix limited series Zero Day.