18 months after her Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress, Angela Bassett was not offered any roles.
The 64-year-old Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actress lost out to Jamie Lee Curtis for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, causing many viewers to feel robbed of the award she deserved. Twitter was abuzz with fervent fans expressing their sentiments, questioning whether the esteemed Academy had overlooked Angela’s decades of relentless dedication and Oscar-worthy portrayals.
“I choose to believe that there’s a reason why,” she said in an interview with CBS. She said she’s not a “sore loser” and believes her career trajectory is in a positive direction.
During her time in Hollywood, Bassett had an illustrious career with roles in John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood” and Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X.” She was also nominated for her role as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
But she did not get that role, despite receiving much praise. She was then left wondering what she should do next if she could ever break into the acting industry again.
But she didn’t, and that’s precisely where she is now. The Black Panther star is now a nominee for Best Supporting Actress, and she’s a strong candidate to take home the prize on Sunday. In an Oscar season essentially once again erasing Black cinema and nominating overwhelmingly white contenders, it’s refreshing to see this happening.
