R. Kurt Osenlund, April 2013

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

    While she’s perfectly capable of exuding tremendous grace on screen, it’s hard to think of a movie moment with Angela Bassett that isn’t defined by the actress’s trademark strength—a commanding presence that’s kept viewers riveted since she embodied Tina Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It? More creative force than mere performer, Basset, 54, has been a steadfast beacon for modern black actors, with influence as potent—if not quite as prominent—as that of Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Morgan Freeman. A Harlem native and Yale alum, who got her start on stage in various August Wilson plays, Bassett has come to be known as an icon of muscle, both in physicality and force of will. Whether turning heads as the original, sculpted cougar in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, kicking ass as a futuristic bodyguard in Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days, or simply dominating the room in recent fare like Notorious and Jumping the Broom, Bassett demands your attention when she speaks, or even, when she doesn’t.

    Still, if you’re looking for evidence of a lingering inequality in Hollywood, you need look no further than Bassett’s filmography. While she’s offered invaluable contributions to the cinema, and continues to build a legacy that will leave an indelible mark, this immensely gifted actress should, by rights, have a career near the level of Meryl Streep’s right now, but doesn’t due to color lines and ageism we pretend are no longer issues in the industry. To her fans’ certain delight, Bassett has remained prolific for more than two decades, but the leading roles she so deserves are few and far between.

    Which is hardly meant to imply that Bassett is anything close to a victim. Even in her latest role, she channels a bit of progress, playing someone the United States government can’t claim to have ever employed: a female director of the Secret Service. Almost alarmingly soft-spoken for a women so associated with delightful authoritativeness, Bassett, calling in from Los Angeles, discusses her career triumphs and struggles, her penchant for nailing the role of the boss, and the dream parts she can’t wait to tackle. Most of all, Bassett downplays her characteristic hard shell and conveys a wealth of that aforementioned grace, sharing a level-headed outlook on life and work that makes her that much more commendable.

In Olympus Has Fallen, you play Lynne Jacobs, the head of the Secret Service. In reality, we’ve never had a woman in that position before. I’m assuming that has a lot to do with what drew you to the part.

Oh, yes, absolutely. That was intriguing. I like that I can be seen in a way that’s never been seen in reality. And hopefully that’ll be a bit of life imitating art in the near future.

You have a gift and a reputation for playing strong, powerful women—directors turn to you to play these types of roles. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing a movie with Angela Bassett as president. Do you think that could happen?

[Laughs] Umm...maybe! We’re taking our baby steps. We’ve had a female president on the small screen, you know, with Geena Davis [in ABC’s Commander in Chief]. And Morgan [Freeman] has played president, so we’re beginning to see different faces as our leaders. So I hope that one day that is a possibility. I think this role as the director of the Secret Service, in this film, is a step toward that possibility...or inevitability. So, yes, I would like to be seen as president.

Regarding your knack for exuding power, was there a certain project, like, say, What’s Love Got to Do With It? that kickstarted that for you? Or did you always carry yourself with a lot of confidence?

You know, I was thinking about that recently, and I think that [movie] was probably the beginning of it in a really big way. That, and then followed with Waiting to Exhale, and [the scene with] the burning of the car. [Laughs] Big scenes, big images—powerful, strong, take-charge images. So I think that probably cemented it for me. But I try to carry myself with confidence. Not that I feel that way all the time. But I try to exude as much as I can—so it’ll help me believe it! [Laughs]

You’ve gotten the chance to play alongside a lot of incredible actors—Laurence Fishburne, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington. In Olympus Has Fallen, you finally get to work with Morgan Freeman, who plays the Speaker of the House, and then, the acting president. I understand he treated you to some musical entertainment on set?

Yeah, he’s quite the songbird. [Laughs] Morgan “iTunes” Freeman. It was quite unexpected, but so pleasant. It really broke the ice for me. I don’t think it did for him, I think he was just being himself—entertaining himself between scene set-ups, which are frequent. But it definitely broke the ice for me. Because I think we all see him as an authority figure as well. You feel a little nervous around him, as he’s one of our preeminent actors. But he was just this warm and wonderful guy. And on the last day, I couldn’t help it, I just bear-hugged him. It just came out of me—very spontaneous.

And you’re friendly with Olympus Has Fallen director Antoine Fuqua’s wife, actress Lela Rochon. Did that friendship play any part in connecting you to this project?

Not a bit.[Laughs] I am proud to say, not a bit. No, Antoine and I have wanted to work together for a number of years, beginning at a time that predates their relationship. We had crossed paths on a potential project that never came to be for either of us. But it was intriguing to follow each other’s work. I always wanted to be in one of his films and never knew when I’d have that opportunity. And then this one came along, and he made the casting decision to change the [head of Secret Service] role from male to female, and offer it to me. He just wanted a strong person in that role. And Melissa Leo’s role as well, as the Secretary of Defense—these roles are typically male, but they really just need strong individuals. And I think we both carry it off, but I think it also just adds an unspoken layer of depth to the room, because these women are there. It makes you think about who they are, what they must do, and what they’ve had to do to gain these positions that they’re in. And that they need to be able to go toe-to-toe with any man in the room in order to help save the nation.

And I’m sure you’re busy with your own family these days—husband Courtney B. Vance and your two children. But speaking as a fan, I’d love to see more of you up on the screen. Is there anything other than family that’s keeping you from taking a lot more leading roles? Like, perhaps, Hollywood’s lack of offers to actresses of a certain age?

You know, the business has always been challenging, for women and for African American women. It always has been. I don’t want to say it always will be, but it always has been. In spite of it, I have attempted to make a career, and fortunately, acting is all I’ve ever had to do since I began doing it so many years ago. You just go where the work is, and try to find what excites you, until you, I don’t know, produce and direct yourself, I guess? Produce, direct, write, and fund your own movies? You just have to deal with the landscape, such that it is. I spoke to someone earlier today, and they asked me if I’d seen Girls, the new HBO show, and how I felt about the flak [Lena Dunham] is getting because the show is set in New York and there are no people of color. I don’t know how that’s my problem. [Laughs] You know, if I were casting that world, I’d cast it differently because I see it differently, but until it’s mine to cast and direct, that belongs to her. You just choose to work with people who have a broader vision of the world. You just stay positive and keep plugging at it. It’s a joy. I came into this with joy. And these are just the little realities that can steal your joy if you’re not careful. So family is important, friendships are important, having interests and a life outside of it are important, faith is important, maintaining your passion is important. The business is what it is, and we just need to know that certain aspects of it are imperfect.

On a similar note, a film that I love, and initially hoped I might see you in, is For Colored Girls. So rarely do you see many amazing actresses of color in one place. Did you read for a part in that film?

No, I didn’t. But I was offered a part. I spoke with [writer/director] Tyler Perry a couple of times and he was interested in me portraying a part in the film. It meant a lot, and I enjoyed the finished product, because that [source material] was also my senior thesis when I was an undergrad at Yale. I directed a production of For Colored Girls and I also played the lady in red in that production. So it’s close to my heart, and it meant a lot, but I just could not envision what that could be on screen. The live-theater experience is so visceral and different, I couldn’t imagine capturing that snapshot and putting it on screen. It just felt like such a living organism for me. In hindsight, I think he did a good job with it, but at the time, I just couldn’t make the leap because it was such a theater piece for me.

But you had previously worked with Tyler Perry on Meet the Browns. As someone who’s also been a pioneer for black performers on stage and on screen, what are your thoughts on Tyler and what he’s done for African Americans in cinema?

I think he has a broad audience, as evidenced by the success that he’s had. And I think some folks love him a lot, and for others, it’s not their particular taste. But I think he’s absolutely amazing in what he’s been able to do for himself, and how he’s been able to change the game for himself in Hollywood. And also, he’s been able to influence others in terms of his work model. Overall, he’s very impressive.

You had mentioned the car-burning scene in Waiting to Exhale. If you go onto YouTube, and start typing “Waiting to Exhale,” some of the first search items that appear are “Waiting to Exhale Angela Bassett car scene” and “Waiting to Exhale Bernadine’s revenge.” Why do you think that scene connected with people so much?

[Laughs] Ah, because it’s completely cathartic. It’s a completely cathartic experience. We all wish we could express ourselves in a way that gets our point across emphatically, but, you know, we’re bound by law. [Laughs] We’re bound by law in life.

And, of course, you co-starred with Whitney Houston in that film. Did you remain close with her? And also, I don’t want to overshadow a tragedy with talk of business, but how did her death impact plans for the film’s sequel?

We remained close in spirit. Folks’ lives take them take them on different paths and in different directions. But we’d run into each other now and then. The last time we saw each other was at an awards show where she sang and I presented something. So we were able to get together, and she was excited and expressing her enthusiasm to start Exhale 2. So, I loved hearing that. But her death, I mean how could it not affect the plan? I mean, it was hard enough, so to speak, that we had to consider [the late] Gregory Hines’s character, another beloved character, and man. So that was another great part of our heart that we lost. And then, years later, to lose Whitney too, it’s just...  The filmmakers continue to work on it, and continue to think about it, because it’s a movie that audiences still want to see. They ask for it, they ask after it, they love those characters and the situations they found themselves in. The questions are: Do you recast it? Do you deal with it? Which way is most respectful? Which approach will audiences respond to? It’s been difficult, I’m sure, and I don’t know how it’s going to pan out. [Source author] Terry McMillan is my neighbor, and she’s just given it up to the writers, so they’re trying to come to some conclusion. Unfortunately, it just took too long. [Laughs] If we had done it the Sex and the City way, by next year, we’d be on Waiting to Exhale 5.

I recently rewatched What’s Love Got to Do With It? and the physicality of that performance is just incredible. All through your career, from How Stella Got Her Groove Back to now, you’ve been in terrific shape. What’s your fitness/self-care regimen like these days? Anything you swear by?

Oh, gosh. I swear by eating small meals frequently. That’s what I try to do these days. But it’s always the same: You get ready for a project and you tone up, then you come off a project and you gain ten or 15 pounds. [Laughs] It’s like, ahh...vacation. So now, I’m just trying to do small meals, every three hours. Not too much. And cardio. In the past, I’ve probably done it all, but these days that’s just not the case.

Through the years you’ve played a number of remarkable real-life women—Tina Turner, Rosa Parks, Katherine Jackson—and I think you’re one of few actors who’ve played the same person, Betty Shabazz, in two unrelated films, Malcolm X and Panther. Now, to make things more interesting, you’re playing Coretta Scott King in Betty and Coretta, opposite Mary J. Blige, who plays Betty Shabazz. It’s head-spinning!

I know. I’m Betty, I’m Coretta, I’m Betty, I’m Coretta...

Did Mary J. ask you for pointers?

No. [Laughs] Not at all. And this film addresses these women at different points in their lives than the earlier films. A lot of it is right after the assassinations of their husbands and the friendship that they developed. Of course, the role that I played [in the prior films] was just up to the assassination, and the story focused more on Malcolm.

Is there a role that you’re dying to play that you haven’t yet?

I’d love to play the villain—the crazy. From an actor’s point of view, you like to switch it up, and work out different muscles. So I’d like to play the bad guy. Or the queen! One or the other.

Angela Bassett with husband Courtney B. Vance. Photo: Matthew Jordan Smith.

Angela Bassett Takes Control...Again

A fiercely talented actress known for her authoritative roles, Oscar nominee Angela Bassett

returns this season in Olympus Has Fallen, a political thriller that has her

rightfully calling the shots as the head of the Secret Service.

18. R.Kurt Osenlund is the managing editor of OUT Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @AddisonDeTwitt.
    

Email: rkurtosenlund@gmail.com.

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