Angela Bassett Recalls How Tina Turner Took Years to Share Her Reaction to 'What's Love Got to Do with It'

'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'

Angela Bassett says Tina Turner waited for years to give her feedback on how the actress fared as the late singer in What's Love Got to Do with It.

While speaking with Variety to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1993 biopic centered around Turner, who died at 83 in May, Bassett, 64, recalled how the legendary singer took her time to offer a response to the movie, even though she was heavily involved in its production.

"Early on she did not see the film. I remember when we went to Italy, she claimed that she did not see the film," the actress said, when asked of Turner's reaction to the movie. "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," Bassett continued. "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."

Bassett was recognized with an Academy Award nomination for her starring role as Turner in the movie at the 66th Oscars, though Holly Hunter ultimately won the award for Best Actress for her performance in The Piano. The movie also starred Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.

Related: Tina Turner Dead at 83: Listen to 5 of Her Most Memorable Songs

"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.

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"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.

Related: See the Cast of 'What’s Love Got to Do With It' Compared to the Real People, as the Movie Turns 30

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.

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