Angela Bassett reflects on losing Best Supporting Actress to Jamie Lee Curtis: 'It was, of course, a supreme disappointment'

"I thought I handled it very well, and that was my intention: to handle it very well," the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" star said.

Angela Bassett is contemplating her loss at last year’s Oscars.

In a new interview with Oprah Winfrey, the What’s Love Got to Do with It? actor spoke about her experience at the 95th Academy Awards, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , but ultimately lost to Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All at Once. “I thought I handled it very well, and that was my intention: to handle it very well,” Bassett said. “It was, of course, a supreme disappointment, and disappointment is human, so yes, I was disappointed, and I handled it like a human being.”

Winfrey noted that she didn’t understand why Bassett’s muted reaction to Curtis’ win went viral. “I didn't get the whole ‘Angela Bassett face,’” she said. “I thought, wow, you can see that [you] expected another thing, but you were still as gracious as a queen would be.”

“Absolutely. For myself and for my children, who were there with me, yes,” Bassett responded. "I know a pastor who says ‘technology is different — people are the same.’ There are going to be these moments of disappointment that they are going to experience. But how do you handle yourself in the midst of them? We're going to smile, we're going to be gracious, we're going to be kind — we got a party anyway.”

Bassett’s nomination was a historic milestone: she was the first actor in any category to receive an Oscar nom for a performance in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie (though other actors had previously been nominated for non-Marvel comic book movies, like Paul Newman in Road to Perdition, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker). Bassett won a Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe for Wakanda Forever, so some prognosticators expected she might take home an Oscar as well — but Curtis’ victory at the SAG Awards led others (including EW) to predict a victory for the Everything Everywhere All at Once star instead.

It took no time at all for Bassett to get her groove back, though. In January, the Strange Days actress received an honorary Academy Award at the 2024 Governor’s Awards. At the ceremony, Bassett delivered a rousing speech to encourage other Black performers. "To my fellow Black actresses, fill your hearts with courage and strength because regardless of what you may see or think or feel, your contributions do matter," she said.

"Take comfort knowing that your performances have given hope, offered a different perspective and for others just pure joy in a time of need," she continued in her speech. "Never allow fear, frustration, or disappointment to get in the way of the blessings that are divinely and deservedly yours. Remember who you are and who our ancestors intended us to be. I proudly share this honor with women who stand up when they are told to stand back, who speak up when they are silenced, who remain determined when they are told they are defeated."

Watch the full interview and Bassett's speech above.

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