Angela Bassett is an undeniable icon, and ahead of the 2023 Oscars—for which she is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category—Bassett sat down with Gayle King for a discussion on all things movies.
During today’s segment on CBS Mornings, Gayle delivered a special surprise to Bassett: She brought out the golden dress Bassett wore for her first Oscar-nominated performance as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It. When Bassett saw the dress, she was elated, noting that the last time she laid eyes on it was while filming the movie.
That was in the early ’90s and, surprisingly, the last time Bassett received an Oscar nomination. When Gayle asked Bassett if she felt robbed for not winning that year, Bassett was as humble as always. “In the moment, you’re hoping and praying and wishing...but I don’t walk away thinking I’ve been robbed. That’s too negative of an emotion to carry with me for the rest of my life,” she said. “I choose to believe that there’s a reason why it didn’t happen.”
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Naturally, Gayle asked what Bassett’s reaction was to receiving a nomination this time around. “I was so excited that I woke up at 3:45. I did not plan to do that,” Bassett shared. “I set my alarm for 5:25—just five minutes before—sleep as long as I could. I think I yelped.”
That excitement is clearly coming through in other Oscar prep: Bassett said that although she hasn’t yet seen her dress, she feels like it needs to be perfect. “You know, you go to a lot of different events, and it hasn’t been this difficult to pick a dress,” she said of past ceremonies. “But it’s something about this particular dress and evening—you want it to be beyond perfection.” (Gayle very helpfully suggested she wear purple, because it’s a regal shade.)
Bassett also revealed how she really felt when she learned that—spoiler alert—her character in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would die in the film. “I was hit just as hard,” she said. Bassett didn’t know until she got the script. “Here I am sitting, reading the script—enthused, happy, ecstatic—turn the page, and I see this and I’m like...Ryan, please don’t,” she said, referring to director Ryan Coogler.
But even though Queen Ramonda’s death is a tragic moment in the movie, Bassett knows she gave the performance of lifetime. “I remember at the premiere, it was just so quiet,” she told Gayle. “People were literally weeping.” Bassett explained that it was reminiscent of her early experiences watching films. “That’s that feeling I had at 15 sitting in the theater watching Of Mice and Men, weeping that a movie, cinema, a performance, can so move us.”
And when Gayle asked what it was like for Bassett to deliver that experience to others, she said one thing: “It’s a dream come true.”
Watch their conversation below, and tune into the Oscars on March 12 to see Bassett’s (hopefully purple) dress and, fingers crossed, her winning acceptance speech.
Cassie Hurwitz (she/her) is an assistant editor at Oprah Daily, where she covers everything from culture to entertainment to lifestyle. She can typically be found in the middle of multiple books and TV shows all at once. Previously, Cassie worked at Parents, Rachael Ray In Season, and Reveal. Her love language is pizza (New York slices, Chicago deep dish, and otherwise).
