Regina Hall Remembers When She First Met Angela Bassett, ‘Wakanda Forever’ Oscar Nominee

Ryan Lattanzio
·2 min read
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Angela Bassett said she had never before been “near the world” of superheroes and comic books, but now, she stands to become the first actor to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for such a performance.

In Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” she plays Queen Ramonda, the mother of the late T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who embodies the film’s story of heartbreak and resilience. At a recent Marvel Studios Q&A, actor Regina Hall moderated a sit-down conversation with Angela Bassett. IndieWire shares the video in full, exclusively, below.

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Hall shared a story of the first time she met the legendary Bassett, who was last nominated for an Oscar (for Best Actress) for “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”

“This is is a great story because these stories can be horrible,” Hall said jokingly. “I was interning at MTV. I was walking across the street, and I look over and I see Angela Bassett. She had on jeans, and Angela’s got a nice rump, so I was like, ‘Oh, that lady has a beautiful butt.’ And then she had a jean shirt on and Goddess braids.”

Hall continued, “I went up to her, and I was so nervous to ask for your autograph. And she was so kind. That’s why this story is so beautiful. She was so kind. I got an autograph. This is before phones. And I got an autograph, and I remember thinking how beautiful you were, you had no makeup on. You were so beautiful, and you were so kind.”

Hall added, “You guys have created something so magical and profound [with ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’]. You have always been our Queen, but now you are literally out Queen.”

As for her first experience in a comic book movie, Bassett said, “Many years ago, there was talk about ‘X-Men’ about being in that. This was years ago, and then it took about 10 years for it to actually happen. And our dear Halle [Berry], you know, ended up being in that, which was wonderful. So that was as close as I came to being in a comic book movie. So when this came, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, you know, something’s come back around in a sort of way with this marvelous director. And I’m just gonna have to discover what this world is all about.'”

Watch the full Q&A below.

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