Angela Bassett Did The Thing!
Welcome to Adoring Angela Bassett. Best known for her performances in What's Love Got To Do With It, American Horror Story, Wakanda Forever, 9-1-1, and many more, this site is determined to bring you the most up to date information & photos on this talented actress and her career.  Enjoy your stay!
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Mar
07
2024


Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, and more preview the cruise ship (and love-life) disasters ahead as the first-responder drama moves from Fox to ABC.

“Yeesh.”

That’s the first word that comes to mind when Angela Bassett recalls the 14-hour days spent in a water tank for her latest 9-1-1 adventure.

Over the past six seasons, Bassett’s Los Angeles Police Department field sergeant Athena Grant has weathered an absolutely staggering number of calamities including, but by no means limited to: a tsunamia citywide blackouta 7.1 magnitude earthquake, and, yes, a blimp crash. This is in addition to surviving an attack by a serial rapist (who, it should be noted, also kidnapped her son) and then facing a mudslide caused by a dam break on her very first day back on the job.

That’s a lot, which makes it even more impressive when the star and executive producer tells Entertainment Weekly they wanted to do something “big and grand” for the opening disaster of season 7. “I think this might be our biggest,” adds EP Peter Krause, who also stars as fire captain Bobby Nash. “It’s fun making these disaster movies for TV.”

Playing out over the first three episodes of the season, this latest disaster is a direct homage to 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure, with Bobby and Athena on their belated honeymoon cruise when pirates take control of the ship and things go topsy-turvy — literally.

“We have this giant bingo tumbler, and we’re the bingo balls inside of it,” Krause says of shooting scenes in a rotating set called a roll room. Besting the one built for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, it’s the largest roll room ever constructed. Fitting for Fox’s highest-rated drama. Except that season 7 will actually air on ABC (starting March 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, before Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 ).

“It’s almost like a homecoming,” co-creator Tim Minear says of how Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox (the studio behind 9-1-1) but not the Fox network created a domino effect that ultimately led the series to Disney-owned ABC. “Our studio and network are tied together again.”

All involved speak kindly of their time on Fox, but ABC is treating 9-1-1 “like a first-year show,” says Minear, who will serve as sole showrunner for season 7, with previous co-showrunner Kristen Reidel remaining involved as an EP. “They’re relaunching everything and they’re super excited, really supportive. It’s all shiny, and the enthusiasm is through the roof.”

One of the benefits of being the shiny new thing is, apparently, heated water tanks.

“The water was a nice, warm 93 degrees — but the weather outside wasn’t, so you wanted to stay in the tank,” Bassett says of filming the season 7 extravaganza. “Just imagine a nice 14-hour bath.”

That bath is a far cry from the water tanks used during season 1.

When 9-1-1 launched in 2018, the series was framed as Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s take on a procedural. Teaming with their American Horror Story EP Minear, they developed a story centered on the 118 fire station and other Los Angeles first responders. Bassett, Krause, and Connie Britton brought star wattage to the project, but the promised disaster spectacle was an equal draw.

The series’ first mini-disaster movie came in episode 4, when a plane crashed into the Pacific and Bobby led Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Buck (Oliver Stark) in rescue efforts that left the actors in far cooler water than Bassett and Krause are experiencing now.

“Aisha, Oliver, and I would huddle together in the luggage compartment of the plane [between takes],” Krause recalls of that December 2017 night shoot where temperatures dropped into the 20s. “I put a scarf in there, and we’d wrap it around our heads to stay warm.”

“We were up to our waist in freezing water, braving all of the elements,” Hinds confirms. “But I will tell you this: That experience set the bar for what this experience on the show would be. And so anytime we have to do the hard work, I’m always like, ‘But it’s not the airplane. But it’s not the airplane…’”

What’s your emergency?

Minear says they originally planned to shoot the season 7 premiere on an actual cruise ship, “but cruise ship companies were like, ‘Well, does anything bad happen on the ship?’ And it’s like, ‘Have you seen the show? It’s not going to go real smooth.’”

Not that things are going swimmingly before the ship capsizes either.

“Obviously, they’re on a honeymoon, but it’s not like everything is smooth in their interior lives,” Minear says of where audiences will find Bobby and Athena at the start of the season premiere. “There are conflicts that maybe they haven’t expressed to one another.”

Those unspoken conflicts simmer beneath the surface as the couple literally get their sea legs, and run into some familiar faces — Lola (Romy Rosemont) and Norman (Daniel Roebuck) from a season 2 episode in which Lola stood topless above a freeway sign to get the attention of her distant husband — who are now cruise ship retirees.

From there, “I will just say there is a run where they are Nick and Nora,” Minear says of Bobby and Athena, comparing them to the couple at the center of detective novel and movie series The Thin Man. “There’s a little bit of a mystery on that cruise ship, but also a chance for Peter and Angela to be a little funny together. I don’t think their chemistry has ever been better.”

But things don’t stay Thin for long. “By the time you get to the middle of episode 2, it’s Titanic,” he continues. “It’s an epic love story between these two people who are meant to be together, who are facing possible death.”

“You can’t take a fish out of water until you see the fish in the water. And in this case, we’re taking the fish out of the water and putting it into even deeper water.”

co-creator Tim Minear on delaying the big disaster until the end of the season 7 premiere

“I’ve been in and out of water all week,” Krause tells EW from set before rattling off his stunt badges of honor: “Yesterday, I was climbing around an upside-down world. We have an injured individual who was strapped to a roulette table in the casino, and then the ship turns over so he’s hanging upside down and Bobby has to find a way to get him back down to safety. I’ve got a little cut on my leg, and some bruises and stuff. Your body pays the price, but it’s fun.”

What’s less fun is shooting up to five episodes at once as the 9-1-1 team races the clock. Speaking to EW on the final day of February, just two weeks before premiere night, Minear jokes(?) that he hasn’t slept in two days: “I may have to call 9-1-1 before the day is over,” he says with a laugh before detailing how they are still finishing cruise ship scenes for the first three episodes while also preparing to film episode 6.

“We’re not just logistically planning a cruise ship disaster — with its many complicated rigs and sets — we’re logistically planning a TV show,” Minear explains. “When I have my two stars separated from the other cast, out on a cruise ship, you have to come up with stories that can service the other group of characters that can film on separate stages. And, hopefully, by the time it’s all put together, you won’t really feel that people are separated. It’s like planning the invasion of Normandy every week.”

Krause says it’s “been a dream” (wet)suiting up for battle with Bassett the past two months, but he’s also missed being a member of what he calls the “Firehouse Five.”

“We were all smiles when we finally got to work together the other day,” Krause says of reuniting with Bobby’s station 118 crew — Hen; Buck; Chimney (Kenneth Choi), who was recovering from a metal rod to the head during that season 1 plane crash; and Eddie (Ryan Guzman), who joined in season 2. We’ll have to wait a few episodes to see the Firehouse Five back together, but the team is keeping busy on land while their captain is busy being a bingo ball at sea.

On the clock, Hen is serving as interim captain, but at home, she and Karen (Tracie Thoms) are taking another stab at expanding their family of three. (“It takes us on a very interesting path in the first few episodes, so I’m excited to see how the fans respond to our newest edition,” says Hinds.)

Meanwhile, Eddie and Buck are focused on romance — and not just with their potential new love interests, hardware store flirtation Marisol (Edy Ganem) and death doula Natalia (Annelise Cepero). Eddie’s son Christopher (Gavin McHugh) is dating, and the single dad will turn to his best friend for an assist. “It really is a moment of desperation for Eddie where he is like, ‘Oh my God, this is a new avenue that I’m not prepared for…. Who knows women? Oh, Buck does,’” says Guzman.

“It’s been such a beautiful thing to explore Buck’s relationship with Christopher because we’ve seen him grow up,” adds Stark. “When [Christopher] joined the show, he was a kid, and now he’s not. He’s a teenager, and there are things that he’s going to be thinking about and feeling that are brand new to him. Buck is in a good position to be there for him in a way that maybe his own father can’t because he’s had a lot of relationship experience — some successful, some very unsuccessful.”

And which category does Buck’s relationship with Natalia fall in? “That is addressed pretty early on,” Stark teases. “He’s just looking for his happiness, and he’s willing to put himself out there again and be open to feeling things. He just wants to be happy.”

Luckily, there’s nothing up in the air about where Chimney stands with his finaceé Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt, who replaced Britton as the show’s main 9-1-1 dispatcher at the start of season 2).

“The wedding is happening!” Hewitt promises. But don’t expect it to take over Madney’s lives. “You will hear little bits about it, but honestly the emergencies are massive and exciting from the start — so being first responders keeps them busier than wedding planning,” she explains. “But we know the audience is waiting for these two to get hitched, and they won’t have to wait long.”

Before the ceremony, Choi teases some “pre-wedding celebrations” to come in episode 6: “And in 9-1-1 fashion, especially when it comes to Chimney, things may go awry. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, and it may involve some of the 118 players…”

Whatever bachelor party shenanigans ensue, Minear is excited to plan a “different” kind of wedding as a capstone to this 10-episode season (shorter than usual due to last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes).

“Kenny and Jennifer just have amazing chemistry together, made for a rom-com,” the showrunner says. “But they are both incredible dramatic actors as well. And finding an interesting way into their wedding has been a lot of fun because I had just come off [spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star] where I had done the big wedding between TK and Carlos. I didn’t want to do that again. So I think I came up with something different, and I think it’s going to be incredible.”

Speaking of Lone Star, “overlap” between the 9-1-1 shows may be “baked in the cake,” but Minear confirms there won’t be a crossover with the Austin-based sister series this season. That said, former 118ers Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) will pop up, as well as Buck and Maddie’s parents (Gregory Harrison and Dee Wallace). “And we are doing kind of a crossover on 9-1-1,” Minear teases. “But it’s not with Lone Star.” (When pressed for more details, the co-creator slyly muses, “Is it The Rookie?… Probably not, since I just said The Rookie.”)

So no Lone Star crossover, but we will get the series’ 100th episode — something that crept up on the 9-1-1 team.

It was the day of that aforementioned Firehouse Five reunion and “a couple hours in, we realized ‘Oh, this is the 100th episode!’” recalls Choi. “So all day we were super grateful and super thankful as to how far we’ve come. And I think it’s a testament to the fans of the show. They’ve kept us on the top of the chart.”

“A lot of casts say, ‘Oh, we all love each other,’ because you’re supposed to say that, but we all genuinely love one another. It’s kind of sickening and gross.”

—Chimney actor Kenneth Choi

“It is beautiful to see how they resonate with the stories, the characters, and the emergencies,” adds Hinds, who officially celebrated the 100th with the cast and crew on set yesterday (with cake!). “But underneath it all, Tim has written characters who do have their own personal struggles,” Krause notes. “And the language of the show keeps growing, and the storytelling real estate keeps expanding. We do rom-com. We do thriller. We do action. We do horror. We do comedy. Until the scripts come in, we never know what we are going to do. It’s fun.”

It’s that diversity that keeps Bassett coming back season after season.

“As long as the stories keep coming and we keep delving into relationships and family matters — the extended family, the added family, divorce, kids, the empty nest, racial issues, marital issues, adoption, trying to have a child, LGBTQ issues…” she says, “there are so many life issues that we use as inspiration along with the headlines and stories that also inform us. So perhaps we can go on for quite a bit longer, because people surprise you.”

Maybe she has another 100 episodes in her — let’s just hope the water stays warm.

Feb
29
2024

Bassett, who is PEOPLE’s Women Changing the World cover star, says she hopes her children “see that hard work pays off. And they’ll be about that life for themselves”

Feb
22
2024
THE NEW SPECIAL DISCUSSES BASSETT’S ICONIC 40-YEAR CAREER, SOME OF HER BELOVED ROLES, AND HER JOURNEY AS A WIFE AND MOTHER.

In an all new OWN Spotlight exclusive, Oprah Winfrey sits down with Honorary Academy Award recipient Angela Bassett to get a glimpse of her iconic, nearly half a century career. Bassett has become a household name for many of us, beloved for her roles as Tina Turner (What’s Love Got To Do With It,) Stella Payne (How Stella Got Her Groove Back,) Bernadine (Waiting To Exhale), Tanya (Akeelah and the Bee) and a handful of others.

Of her role as Stella, Bassett says, “It was just everywhere. Women you know, coming up through the industry, it was said at 40, boom, it’s done, your a has been, sit down, get back  — hush, hush up, you know,” Bassett explains. “It was all about what was coming next. What’s new, what’s hot, what was fresh what was next. For seasoned women to be sure of yourself, of who you are, of your standards, feeling free in you own beauty, and intellect and sensuality, it meant a great deal. Because pretty much, the landscape would paint a picture of ‘that’s it a 40.’”

Angela Bassett meets with Oprah at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to discuss her honorary Academy Award. The two discuss the highlight of her career, as well as her legendary acceptance speech. Beyond her illustrious career, Bassett also shares moments from her journey as a parent alongside her husband, Courtney B. Vance, and her children.

The one-hour special is set to air on March 2 on OWN


Jun
28
2023

Angela Bassett is no stranger to collecting nominations for some of the industry’s top honors over her nearly 40-year career, but – much like that ever-elusive Academy Award – longtime fans may be surprised to know the screen diva has never nabbed a BET Award.  This, despite being nominated 12 times since the award show’s inaugural ceremony in 2001.

However, the latter losing streak came to a screeching halt Sunday night (June 25).

Well done to Angela!
Jun
28
2023

New footage of Angela Bassett and Tina Turner has been released on set of What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) enjoy the BTS!


 

Jun
27
2023

‘Early on she did not see the film,’ Angela Bassett said of how Tina Turner took her time to watch the 1993 movie ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’


“And she was always calling to find out how I was doing. Always telling me that I was perfect, just perfect,” Bassett added to the outlet of Turner’s support during production on the film. “And you’re just praying and working every day to serve her story.”

Turner’s publicist Bernard Doherty confirmed in May that she died at her home near Zurich in Switzerland after a long illness.

“I knew that she wasn’t doing well physically for a while. That part was just impossible to even believe because she had so much vitality for so long,” Bassett told the outlet of her own reaction to news of Turner’s death. “I reckoned with the fact that it would happen one day, I didn’t know when it would. I tried to reckon with my heart that this is a part of life.”

“And as gracefully as she showed us how to live, she would show us how to transition. And then she did,” she added.

Bassett honored Turner in a tribute shared on Instagram after her death in May, writing in a caption to her post that the rock ‘n roll icon “showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion and freedom should look like.”

“Her final words to me — for me — were, ‘You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.’ I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honored to have known Tina Turner,” Bassett wrote at the time.

 

 

Jun
26
2023

Angela BassettMel Brooks and Carol Littleton will receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition, the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards. The four statuettes will be presented at the 14th annual ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Los Angeles.

“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans,” said Academy President Janet Yang. “Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting. Mel Brooks lights up our hearts with his humor, and his legacy has made a lasting impact on every facet of entertainment. Carol Littleton’s career in film editing serves as a model for those who come after her. A pillar of the independent film community, Michelle Satter has played a vital role in the careers of countless filmmakers around the world.”

The Honorary Award is “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the Academy.”

Veteran actor Bassett has been a beloved figure in Hollywood for over 40 years in film and television. She received her first Oscar nomination for best actress for her stunning portrayal of Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” (1993). She recently spoke with Variety reflecting on the movie that celebrated its 30-year anniversary.

Most recently, for her ferocious turn as Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022), she picked up her second nom for supporting actress, making history as the first actor from a Marvel Studios film and the first woman from a superhero movie, to receive acting recognition. Many of her notable film credits have been tied to ones that have been historical within the Academy’s history, such as “Boyz N the Hood” (1991), for which John Singleton became the first Black filmmaker, and youngest person ever, nominated for best director, and “Black Panther,” the first superhero movie nominated for best picture. Additional career highlights include “Malcolm X” (1992), “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998), “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (2018) and “Soul” (2020).

A seven-time Emmy nominated performer, her work on television has been extensive with revered turns in “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” “The Rosa Parks Story” and “American Horror Story.” She has two submissions in this year’s race: lead drama actress for Fox’s “9-1-1” and narrator for the documentary “Good Night Oppy.”

 

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in all categories.

Legendary director, producer, writer, songwriter and actor Mel Brooks began his career writing comedy routines for Sid Caesar’s television shows and co-creating the classic series “Get Smart.” His comedic brilliance is one of the rare moments of significant recognition within the Academy’s history, showcased by his hilarious directorial and screenwriting debut feature “The Producers” (1967) with Gene Wilder, which won him the Oscar for best original screenplay (beating cinephile darlings “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Faces”). It was later adapted into the hit Broadway musical, which set the record for the most Tony wins with 12, three of which went to Brooks. Other career highlights in Hollywood have his 1974 double-hits of “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” which earned him two noms for original song and adapted screenplay.

Brooks, 96, is currently only one of 18 people to achieve EGOT status (earning competitive wins from Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards). This year, he’s also in the Emmy discussion as a producer and narrator of his long-awaited sequel “History of the World, Part II.”

Littleton’s career as a film editor has spanned nearly five decades. She earned her sole Oscar nom for best film editing for Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982); her other notable credits include “The Big Chill” (1983), “Places in the Heart” (1984) and “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004). She has served as one of the Academy’s Board of Governors for the Film Editors Branch and president and vice president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. She also serves on the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors.

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

Satter is the founding senior director of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs, which focuses on the cultural impact of supporting independent storytellers. For more than 40 years, she has discovered and fostered the careers of hundreds of notable and award-winning filmmakers within the nonprofit, many from underrepresented communities. Satter has also led the Sundance Institute’s international initiatives in Asia, Europe, India, Latin America and the Middle East, in addition to being a founder and overseeing Sundance Collab, a global digital storytelling community and learning platform.

Last year’s Governors Awards ceremony honored Michael J. Fox with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, with honorary Oscars going to Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren and Peter Weir.

The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Jun
26
2023

In the opening of Tina and Ike Turner’s rendition of Creedance Clearwater’s “Proud Mary,” Tina gives a disclaimer to the audience: “Every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us nice and easy, but there’s just one thing, you see: we never ever do nothing nice and easy.” When Angela Bassett took on the task of portraying Turner in 1993 for “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” she took that to heart.

In the 30 days between landing the role and the first day of shooting, Bassett worked 16-hour days, exercising each morning before learning dance numbers with Turner and choreographer Michael Peters. Bassett also worked with her co-star Laurence Fishburne to act scenes depicting the violence and domestic abuse that Tina endured through her marriage. It was anything but nice and easy.

 

Bassett spoke with Variety for the 30th anniversary of “What’s Love Got to Do With It” to reflect on her time with the production, her collaboration with Turner herself and the film’s enduring legacy since the iconic singer’s passing.

I was listening to an interview you did right after the movie’s initial release where you talked about the time you met Tina before the screen tests. Can you talk about that moment?

Oh my gosh, I don’t even recall that. I do remember going through days and days — it felt like weeks — preparing for the screen test with a number of individuals, one being Samuel L. Jackson. I did the scene where you’re knocked over the back of the couch and my hand got fractured — a small hairline fracture.

After I got the role, I was working with Michael Peters, the choreographer, and Tina came to his home dance studio. She showed me her photo albums and old pictures of her with Ike and the Ikettes. We sat over the photo album just commiserating and listening to her memories of that time. I remember saying once, “Oh my, why did your jaw look like that?” And she said “Oh, I had a broke jaw when that happened.” But she would say it with such levity. It was so in the past, so behind her in her rearview. She didn’t say it as if there was any shame or embarrassment or regret. It wasn’t who she was at the present.

And she was fighting for me to learn the routines in flat bare feet, not in five-inch stilettos. I was like, “Thank you. Thank you so much, Tina. Because this Michael Peters is a beast.”

If it was up to him, you would have been in those stilettos?

 

Mhm. And I was there alone. There were no Ikettes cast at that time where you can share the fun or be exhausted and be in the fire together. So it was just me by myself for the better part of those 30 days — just Tina and I in front of the mirror learning the routines together.

You trained vigorously while preparing for this role, to the point where you once said you had to go see a chiropractor. What physical work did it take to get into the role of Tina?

You got up at five in the morning, went to the gym to workout for two and a half hours. Then you would head to Michael Peters and learn routines — which were all intense cardio — for about 10 hours. Ten hours! You had to be so focused and so determined. Pain was irrelevant. Fear was real and physical pain and torture was just going to be a part of it. Every part of your body hurt and there was no time to eat anything.

When you found time, what did you eat?

Broccoli, string beans, Yukon potatoes and bland chicken breast. That’s what my trainer suggested for me. And black coffee and water. Literally. And there was no time to sit down at a table and eat those items. You literally stood stuffing them in your face, one-by-one and then jump back on the dance floor. I was losing inches every week. I would go see Ruth Carter, our costume designer, and every week it was less and less of me — inches just melting away. It was a schedule you would never keep up again.

Did you take that kind of physical aptitude with you after the film?

No, I rebelled and overcorrected. When you’re bent so far in one direction, you just bounce right to the other side. You eat apple pie and all those things.

You said that sometimes Tina would come in and work with the makeup artists. What exactly was it that she wanted?

That was with Marietta Carter — she did my makeup for that. I remember red lips and thick brows.

And what about the costumes and working with Ruth Carter?

I love that iconic gold fringe dress that Tina wore. I was able to see it again recently. I remember the shoes and having to dance in them. That was hell! There was another dress that was sort of formfitting that Ruth made from scratch. It reminded me of something I’ve seen in old Hollywood movies. Then getting up to the regular stuff you could wear — the bell bottoms, Applejack hats, fringe vests, the mini skirts during the Phil Spector moment in time.

But it was difficult in terms of costumes. Every day I would show up on the set and the director, [Brian Gibson,] would not like the costumes. We were on location and all the costumes were in a truck. So Ruth and I got smart, because it was a hassle. We would take Polaroids of tomorrow’s look and give it to the director and he would look at them and say, “Ok, that’s good. That works.” But then we show up on set the next day, and he would not like it — again.

Then we tried to have me put on the costume for the next day before I went home in the evening, so he could actually see it in person. That worked a little better.

 

But it all continued to shorten my day. I would have, literally for the entire shoot, maybe eight hours off. I would leave the set and they would ask me if they could force my call to bring me in nine hours later as opposed to 12. And I would say “Yes,” because you just felt you needed every moment possible to be able to tell this woman’s story.

Did it feel like a personal responsibility or hard work — or both?

It felt like both. I remember to this day, Chi McBride said, “It’s as if we’re those cartoon characters and we’re laying across the furniture on-set and we all have those black X’s across our eyes.” And that is exactly how we feel every day. Just absolutely spent.

But it was also a huge responsibility. Telling the story of Tina and Ike, this relationship and the resiliency of this woman — the frailties, the strength and the brilliance of these two individuals who made such a profound impact during their time together and apart. I don’t think we had seen a woman like Tina on a rock and roll stage who was the age that she was and had been through what she had been through. Her story was just tearing down so many walls and breaking so many barriers. We didn’t know to what extent it would, but we knew the story of this brilliant Black woman was important to tell.

In addition to having that responsibility of telling her story, was there any part of yourself that you felt you brought to the role?

I saw that she was southern like I was. She was a southern Black girl — me from Florida, her from Nutbush — both born of a broken family with dreams to make it in the industry. And both hard workers who don’t quit, don’t give up and don’t make excuses. I resembled her enough to make it believable — just enough.

What were some of Tina’s mannerisms that you really focused on?

Definitely her ability to laugh and find joy. That was something that I recognized in her and grabbed on to — that ready, easy smile. And, of course, the way she would throw back her head and that mane of hair. But really just her laugh. A little raspy. Which became real as I sang her songs. They have a hard hitting effect on the vocal cords, so I found that I began to sound like her a little bit.

It was about committing yourself to the moment and the woman. I would look at everything. Every VHS tape, every story or video or song — any and everything that I could find about her. You would just absorb it and sleep with it. I had a CD player where I could control how much of a phrase I could listen to at a time. So I put those on even when I was off. I’d be in my bed and I would play a phrase until I got it absolutely perfect. Down to, “Is she inhaling breath before she sings that note or is she exhaling afterwards?” How long is “oh?” Where does “oh” live in my body?” Is it in my heart? Is it in my gut? I might listen to that for 45 minutes until I felt I got it absolutely right.

Oh my gosh.

Then I’d move to the, “There’s something on my mind,” and do the same. Then I would add the first to the second. And only when I felt satisfied that I had that would I move forward. It was very exacting and surgical.

 

What was it like working with Laurence Fishburne? How did you workshop that tumultuous on-screen relationship?

We had a relationship working together beforehand with “Boyz n the Hood,” so that undergirded our camaraderie with one another. We had also been cast in a movie before that where we were love interests called “Death Rose,” but the movie never got made. There was this history of chemistry and a respect of each other as people and as artists.

At first, he said he wasn’t interested in playing the role of Ike. Laurence was doing his thing. He was a well-respected actor in our community up to that point. Once I was cast, I was like, “You know, brother, if you don’t want to, I respect you enough. I love you.” And that’s all I said to him. And then a couple of days later, I get a call and he said, “Hey, you want to get married?” And I knew exactly what that meant.


The filmmaker was right. He was the best Ike. He was strong, he was respectful. He could bring order and he had discipline. When things got out of hand, as they did, he could bring some stoppage and clarity to the moment. We literally worked 16-hour days on the smallest of things, like cutting a ribbon. And whereas I could not, as an up-and-coming actor to this white male British director, Laurence could say, “I think we got it. We got it.” And then we could all go home and get some rest to be ready for the next day. Every day was monumental. There weren’t light days, like, “Oh, I get to stand at the edge of the cliff and look out at the ocean.” No. Every day you’re dancing “Proud Mary” or dealing with something very emotional.

Of course.

There were particularly hard moments. In the rape scene, the director wanted to come inside the studio. I was wearing a miniskirt and he said, “Oh, I think you should have garters on.” Garters? Garters with a mini skirt? So I had to run to the trailer and say, “Ruth, can I have some garters? I don’t think garters look right. I don’t think they feel right.” The garters are coming up mid-thigh, the skirt is five inches above that. It doesn’t make sense. These two things do not go together. And then the director laughed and said, “That looks ridiculous.”

Like you had said from the beginning.

Yes. Now you see for yourself and let’s move on. But you felt the enormity of this rape scene. It’s not lovemaking — it is violence and control. It’s manipulative. And as the person portraying it, even though it hasn’t happened to you, you can’t help but feel these things. They can seep into your soul. They inhabit your body, your mind, and your spirit. And we were willing to give all of ourselves to the moment to get it on tape.

But we were not willing to do what history had shown us on set over the last few months, that we would do it over and over and over again for 16 hours. I wasn’t willing to do that. And I knew I couldn’t ask the director because, here I am as a new actor, but I could talk to Laurence. So Laurence asked me, “How many times do you want to do this?” And I looked at him, he took my hand and I said, “Four or five.” And then he told the director, like, “Hey man, we’re just going to do this four times. So let’s make sure we get the cameras right and we’re going to keep them outside of the studio.”

 

It ended up being what I thought was a beautiful juxtaposition between that violent act and the tranquility of fish floating by unaware — a metaphor for something appearing like one thing on the outside, but, behind the scenes, another story being told. We got it. It was below the waist so you’re not seeing anything, but you see his movements as if he’s doing something and I could respond as if he is doing something.

There was another scene where I fell off the back of the couch and there was no stunt assistance or anything. And it was just like, I’m here on the edge of this thing and I think, “Just flip the hell over.” And I just keep going with it. I was in control. And then he was able to come behind the couch and you see punches, but you don’t see them land. That was Laurence’s brilliance. Some of the things he did, you may not see the imagery, but you will feel it, you will sense it, you will understand it. You won’t see the actual perpetration of it visually, he as a Black man and me as a Black woman on screen. But you will take away so much from it.


What was Tina’s response to the film?

Early on she did not see the film. I remember when we went to Italy, she claimed that she did not see the film. Maybe 20 years ago, we were together and she took me aside and said, “You played me so well. Thank you.” But even though she did not see the film early on, she was there every step of the way. She was there at the rehearsals. She was at Neiman’s buying me blouses for “I Might Have Been Queen.” Going into her storage and getting the red “Disco Inferno” costume and allowing me to use that in the film. And she was always calling to find out how I was doing. Always telling me that I was perfect, just perfect. And you’re just praying and working every day to serve her story.

Looking back at it over the last 30 years, what do you think the overall legacy of the film is?

Her story continues to serve others. It’s a story that is universal and watchable in today’s world. It’s a story that still has the power to move people. It’s a story that changed the lives of those who watched it. And not just women; men as well. It’s a story of a mature woman, a passionate individual who lost everything and still managed to survive — and not just survive, but thrive. She showed you that anything is possible, no matter where you are, what you look like, where you came from or what you started with.

I’m sure it was really difficult for you to hear about Tina’s death. Could you share what that was like for you?

I knew that she wasn’t doing well physically for a while. That part was just impossible to even believe because she had so much vitality for so long. I reckoned with the fact that it would happen one day, I didn’t know when it would. I tried to reckon with my heart that this is a part of life. And as gracefully as she showed us how to live, she would show us how to transition. And then she did.

Jun
23
2023

Morning all! Since news on Angela is quiet at the moment I have Screencapped all her Interviews from 2023. Be sure to check them out by clicking the gallery link below!


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Miscellaneous > Screencaptures > 2023

Jun
22
2023