Angela Bassett is having a moment and her colleagues could not be happier for her. Angela Bassett’s work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is being recognized by the industry with a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, and nominations for a BAFTA and SAG Awards making her a front-runner for an Oscar nomination. Director Ryan Coogler praised Bassett’s performance and career accomplishments on the red carpet of Sundance.
“She’s so incredible that sometimes you forget. You know? “Her work ethic is insane. I came up playing sports so you notice this working with her, it’s like you have an extra coach on the field. I find on days when she’s working I can get more done. It’s just the truth,” he gushed.
Bassett raised the performance standards of everyone around her on set. “She would do this thing on the first movie where she doesn’t really leave set. She stays crazy close, which is nuts for an actor like her. It sets such an amazing example. Nobody wants to go back to the trailer in between when Angela is sitting right next to the camera,” Coogler went on to say.
Coogler was not the only person praising Bassett from Sundance. Her Masters of None co-star Lena Waithe also got in on the action.
“It warms my heart even more to see her get her flowers that everybody knows she deserves. Our fingers are all crossed. We’ve been texting, ‘Mama Angela, you gotta get your things! You gotta get your things.” She said, ‘I’m coming for my things.’ I hope she gets a golden thing very soon,” Waithe stated.
If Bassett wins an Oscar for Black Panther this would mark the first acting win for the Marvel Universe. Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 24 so Bassett fans won’t have to wait much longer to know if she is officially in the running.