Angela Bassettforever!
The star won best supporting actress at theCritics Choice Awards2023 on Sunday night, for her performance inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The other nominees wereJessie Buckley(Women Talking),Kerry Condon(The Banshees of Inisherin),Jamie Lee Curtis(Everything Everywhere All at Once),Stephanie Hsu(Everything Everywhere All at Once) andJanelle Monáe(Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery).
Near the end of her acceptance speech, Bassett, 64, thanked fans and several members of her “Disney and Marvel family,” includingWakanda Foreverdirector/co-writeRyan Coogler, and said she’s “proud of the work that we did” with both the sequel and its 2018 predecessor,Black Panther.
She also expressed gratitude to the lateChadwick Boseman, who starred as King T’Challa in the first filmand died in 2020 after a 4-year battle with cancer, “for your love and light surrounding us.”
“We couldn’t have made history, then and now, without you.”
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Angela Bassett.Kevin Winter/Getty
Of all her colleagues on theBlack Pantherfilms, Bassett said, “We showed the world that we could create and lead a billion-dollar box-office success. And my prayer is that that door remains open and the sky is the limit for other Black creators and storytellers around the world to join us.”
Earlier in her speech, Bassett — who alsowon best supporting actressat theGolden Globe Awardson Tuesday — recalled the moment she “fell in love with acting,” while “on a school trip to Washington, D.C., watchingJames Earl Jonesin a production ofOf Mice and Menat the Kennedy Center.”
“It was their extraordinary work that showed me that there was a place for me in this business of show, especially at a time where Black women weren’t shown in a significant way, oftentimes — not really present on television or the big screen. But thank God for them,” she said.
RELATED VIDEO: Angela Bassett on the Cast ofBlack Pantherand the Best Advice to Give Young Actors
Bassett previously opened up toThe Hollywood Reporterabout (spoiler alert) her character Queen Ramonda’s death in the sequel, saying she"loved" the audience response to the moment.
“They wanted to believe that was not the end,” she added.
The 28th annual Critics' Choice Awards are currently airing live on The CW.
source: people.com
