The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: Angela Bassett on Playing Tina Turner and Queen Ramonda of Wakanda
Date: February 21, 2023
Host: Michael Shulman (staff writer)
Guest: Angela Bassett

Episode Overview

This episode features an insightful conversation between Michael Shulman of The New Yorker and acclaimed actress Angela Bassett. They discuss her storied career—from her breakout in the '90s, including her star turn as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It, to her history-making performances in Black Panther and its sequel as Queen Ramonda. The discussion threads through Bassett’s formative years, her creative process, and her contributions to the representation of Black women in film and television.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Revisiting Angela Bassett’s Career

• Michael Shulman reflects on revisiting Bassett's iconic roles from the 1990s, noting her dramatic return to prominence through the Black Panther franchise (00:21).
• Bassett is the first actor nominated for an Academy Award for a performance in a Marvel film (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).

2. Crafting Queen Ramonda in Black Panther

• On Working with Green Screen (01:16):
  Bassett explains that much of Black Panther was filmed with elaborate sets rather than relying heavily on green screen:

  “We did very little on the green screen... The throne room was there... We had trees and bushes, and we had water... and Namor came up out of the water.”
  (Angela Bassett, 01:16)

• Searching for the Right Accent (02:34):
  She describes how she used a dialect coach (Ms. Beth) and drew inspiration from influential South African women, like Winnie Mandela, to develop Ramonda’s accent:

  “I would grab maybe three key phrases... maybe a worker... and before a scene, I would... recite them to get me, you know, in the space.”
  (Angela Bassett, 02:37)

3. Formative Years and Early Inspiration

• Growing Up in Florida & Discovering Performance (03:45–06:47):
  Bassett recalls how her mother fostered a love of music and storytelling at home. She found her calling through poetry recitation in a college enrichment program:

  “For me at 15, that drama, that theatre, that words, that passion from one human being could move another. And then maybe I had something. Maybe I had a gift...”
  (Angela Bassett, 06:37)

• Early New York Hustle (06:47–10:26):
  • Worked as an understudy in a traveling play by the Negro Ensemble Company alongside actors like Samuel L. Jackson.
  • Supported herself with day jobs—first, a stressed-out receptionist in a beauty salon, then a more understanding gig at Rockefeller Center:

    “He knew that, you know, this was a means to an end, that here with him was not the end.”
    (Angela Bassett, 09:42)

4. Becoming Tina Turner: Rigors and Rewards

• Grueling Filming of What's Love Got to Do With It (10:40–14:12):
  • Bassett describes 20-hour workdays, performing through physical injury, and relentless dance rehearsals.
  • She methodically absorbed Tina Turner’s vocal and physical rhythms:

    “I would just study each and every detail within a phrase or half a phrase... Did she inhale before she said that? Did she exhale at the end?”
    (Angela Bassett, 11:51)

  • The emotional and physical toll of the performance included losing her voice and strict dieting.

5. Changing Representation Onscreen

• Cultural Significance of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (14:12–16:06):
  • Bassett reflects on being at the center of films that showcased Black women’s romantic lives with authenticity and nuance:

    “We hadn’t seen ourselves in that way... And they have a joie de vivre. And... they have pain and they’re going through things... But it felt wonderful that times had changed.”
    (Angela Bassett, 14:52, 15:32)

  • The films’ impact as precursors to ensemble works about female friendship, like Sex and the City.

6. The Turn to Comedy

• Exploring Humor (16:06–17:26):
  • Shulman notes her role on Master of None (as Lena Waithe’s mother) and on A Black Lady Sketch Show.
  • Bassett admits she was known as a “drama queen” but is pleased to explore comedic roles:

    “My whole thing was drama... But off camera, my friends say I’m pretty funny. So I appreciate that that’s the way they saw me and that I got that opportunity.”
    (Angela Bassett, 16:46)

  • On the significance of her Master of None role, especially for representation in Black LGBTQ stories:

    “It was an important story to tell, an important moment... To have an opportunity to speak to folk, that’s been a great blessing.”
    (Angela Bassett, 17:26)

7. Oscars, Style, and Royalty

• Discussing the Oscars and the Meaning of Purple (18:53–19:24):
  • Bassett jokes about her Oscar dress, speculating she might wear purple:

    “Purple is the color of royalty. Oh, it’s such a responsibility.”
    (Angela Bassett, 19:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Intensity of Portraying Tina Turner:

  “You might lose a battle, but we're trying to win a war. So you just kept going and going and going, and that's how you did it.”
  (Angela Bassett, 11:13)

• On Inspiring Audiences:

  “Whether it’s what’s love and people who’ve been in abusive relationships and got out of it, or whether it’s Stella and those who thought, well, at 40, it’s over... To have an opportunity to speak to folk, that’s been a great blessing.”
  (Angela Bassett, 17:42)

• On Representation in Film:

  “Here were these movies that featured black women in complicated and loving relationships. And we could do it well. And it wasn’t a joke.”
  (Angela Bassett, 15:50)

Important Timestamps

• 00:21 – Shulman introduces Angela Bassett, recounts her filmography, cues discussion on Marvel films.
• 01:16 – Bassett explains Marvel filming techniques and the physical set design.
• 02:34 – Developing Wakandan accent; conversation about accent coaching.
• 03:45/06:47 – Bassett’s early years, formative experiences with performance art.
• 10:40 – The challenges of filming What's Love Got to Do With It.
• 14:12 – The cultural importance of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
• 16:06 – Bassett discusses recent comedic work and self-image.
• 18:53 – Closing remarks about the Oscars and the symbolism of royalty.

Episode Tone and Language

Angela Bassett’s warmth, humor, and candidness animate the conversation. The discussion is imbued with reverence for craft and gratitude for her platform, with an undercurrent of advocacy for visibility and representation. The dialogue feels intimate, reflective, sometimes playful (“I was just drama queen... but off camera, my friends say I’m pretty funny”) and always sincere in its reflections on artistry and impact.

For those who haven’t listened, this episode is a rich portrait of a legendary actress at the height of her craft, offering inspiration and insight into the art, ambition, and advocacy that have defined her remarkable career.