During a roundtable discussion with fellow actresses Claire Foy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elisabeth Moss, Thandie Newton, and Sandra Oh, Angela Bassett discussed her decision to work with director Ryan Coogler and take the role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter what felt different about the Marvel film, Bassett replied, “Just the making of. On the set everyday with that director, with Ryan.”
The 9-1-1 actress then revealed she'd only briefly met Coogler once before he asked her to join Black Panther's cast.
“It felt different immediately getting the call from Ryan,” she explained. “And again, it was one of those situations where it was you know a walk of faith, because I had met him briefly before at a premiere, but I was a fan of his previous two films. A very small film and then a slightly bigger film, but this one was a massive massive undertaking for this young man.”
Coogler rose to the challenge and produced one of the most successful superhero movies in history.
“You felt a responsibility to be in there with him,” Bassett continued. “There’s some moments and some sets where everyone catches the fever of it, the heat of it, and they’re bringing the best to the moment...and that’s what you experienced and saw on that set."
Even though the cast gave their all on set, Bassett admitted during an interview back in February that they underestimated the impact the film would have.
"I don't think we thought we would change history," she said. "We thought it would be special, we thought folk would see it, it would have a big audience, it would have a wide appeal. But to this degree and with this urgency and with this speed, and with all this love and good feeling emanating from it, we are humbled."
Watch Bassett's full conversation here.
