October 1, 2026 • 22 mins
Loren LoRosa gets into a powerful conversation sparked by Angela Bassett reflecting on her decades-long career, the roles she intentionally chose, and what it meant to navigate Hollywood when opportunities for Black actresses were few and far between. From being advised not to play Katherine Jackson to struggling to find work after What’s Love Got to Do with It, Loren breaks down the lessons she took from Angela’s journey.
Loren also connects Angela’s perspective to Issa Rae’s recent comments about power in Hollywood, the changing landscape for Black creators, and what it means to create your own opportunities when traditional doors don’t open. Plus, Angela reveals how James Earl Jones inspired her to become an actress—and Loren reflects on the kind of impact and longevity she hopes to build with her own platform.}
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get, let's get, let's get to it, time to
do it.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything
and everybody. You hear that exclusive? You know she don't
lie about that, right?
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Lauren came in hot.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hey y'all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa and this is
another episode of The Latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is
your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news,
and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby. Now,
I want to get right on into a conversation that
is going to shake the room. The incomparable legendary iconic
(00:32):
miss angela bassett uh angela bassett is outside okay looking
good as always but she is actually everywhere right now
uh promoting american horror story so she sat down for
a conversation with lindsey davis over on abc news it's
called all access with lindsey davis And Lindsay Davis does
(00:53):
a really good job during this All Access interview series
that she has where they go beyond the headline and
they get into real in-depth conversations with talent about career
and journey. And y'all know I am always here for
those conversations. I think they just feed the soul and
feed the spirit the way that they need to. And
this one did that for me. So I wanted to
(01:13):
share it with you guys. So Angela Bassett, they kick
off the conversation talking about all things work and career
for her. And one of the things that I thought
was so amazing to hear, but wasn't surprising to me though,
because I think Angela Bassett has accumulated the type of
career that you feel the intention from. But I do know,
(01:35):
you know, like when Angela Bassett started acting all, you know,
these years ago, jobs are few far in between. So
it's always amazing to me how even in a scarcity,
like a scarce industry at the time when there weren't
a lot of things available to To hear actresses, you know,
like our OGs be like, but I was still intentional
(01:56):
because I understood what people that look like me needed
and did not need any more of. Angela Bassett kicks
this off literally talking about the fact that she would
choose certain roles for certain reasons. She even talks about,
you guys remember that Michael Jackson movie that Angela Bassett
was in, right? Which, honestly, very successful portrayal of Michael
Jackson's mother. She even talks about how she was told
(02:19):
before she took that role that she should not do it.
But because of her care for what her career says
and does and how it can change lives, she fought
back against that. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
You know, I was talking to a friend of mine
last evening. And somehow I reflected back on the Jacksons
when I portrayed Katherine Jackson. And I was saying that
I remember being called, you know, into my agent's office
and they were saying, you know, we don't think you
should do this role, this project because, you know, it's
(02:54):
Michael Jackson and the headlines are saying this and that, wacko,
you know, bubbles, the chimp, that sort of thing. And
I listened and I said, but I grew up you know,
they were my youth. I grew up and I'm not
playing that character. I'm playing their mother. And no matter
what you think, they love and revere their Black mother.
(03:17):
And I think that's an ethos that is most definitely
something I want to put into the realm, into the air.
The love, respect, and reverence of a mother and a
Black mother. And that's why I chose that role. It
went on to, you know, have 40 million viewership, 40
(03:37):
million eyes viewing it every evening. So it turned out
to be a great move, but it was more than
just the role.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It's what the role represented. Now that movie was in 1992.
Angela Bassett started acting. It was back in college because
she talks a bit about, you know, being on college
campuses and, you know, you know, what inspired her and
how the theater inspired her. But Angela Bassett, I mean,
a lot of people will point to the Tina Turner,
(04:09):
What's Love Got to Do With It in 1993 as
one of Angela Bassett's like big major roles. But I
know in my world of things, like I remember watching
Angela Bassett play Michael Jackson's mom. But I don't know.
To me, she's always felt like an icon. And hearing
her say that at that point when she was building
(04:31):
to even get to that status or be regarded in
the way that she is, there was pushback. But she
went against the grain. It's like the flip of the coin.
You know, you think about a lot of actors and
actresses and just creatives in general who come from, you know,
these decades where... if you got a shot at something,
you needed to grab that shot and run as fast
as you could because it wasn't happening for everybody the
(04:54):
way it was happening for others. The fact that she
was so intentional during that time, it's almost like a
form of like resistance or advocacy. And I know now people,
you know, love to talk about, you know, putting black
people on television and what we don't have as far
as like, you know, what we see on TV when
we turn things on and, And other people will point
(05:17):
out the tragedies of the things that we do have
to watch when we turn things on. Like, you know,
people be so mad at like the Zeus's and the
loving hip-hops and all of that because it's like the
counter conversation to what Angela Bassett is talking about here.
And I understand all of it, but I think it's
so much easier now to talk about, and let me
not say easy, because you still hear actors and actresses,
(05:41):
black actors and actresses talk about Their fight to be
able to tell certain stories and break through certain stories
and get support on certain stories. But I think it's
a bit different now because we have all these other
means and ways to get our creative out. We can
literally set our phone up. and talk about whatever we
want and post it to a platform for free. You know,
(06:02):
there's a lot of like these smaller budget films that
are breaking through in the mainstream and that are really,
it's basically getting to a point where if they don't
want to allow you to do it, you can go
figure out a way to do it on your own
anyway and figure out some real money around it. Like
that's why whenever I talk about like black television and
black creators or any of that, you're not ever going
(06:25):
to really hear me down like, a Zeus network or,
you know, people's decisions to be on, like, a love
of hip-hop. Certain shows might not be my cup of
tea of things I like to watch or whatever, but,
you know, I do get into my ratchet TV. I love,
you know, certain shows and certain things. Like, I was
hooked on Blueface and Krishan's reality show. Talking about Angela
Bassett and Blueface and Krishan in the same... Crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
But.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
I'm saying the reason why I don't down those things
is because I feel like at the end of the day,
it takes something. And it takes a lot sometimes for
you to even get to a point where your business
is sustainable and is doing that. And it's putting things
out that are actually reaching people. And Zeus is doing that.
But it is a way different type of conversation when
we don't have all of the Zeus networks or the Instagrams,
(07:13):
the Facebooks, YouTube. YouTube is literally right now putting it
out there. Well, they didn't put it out there, but
there are sources that are saying that YouTube is currently
going after creators and saying, hey, let's do basically a
development deal. Let us give you some money to further
develop this idea or, you know, this show that already
(07:34):
lives on our channel. So you won't take it to
like the Netflix's and the other streamers in the world.
That is amazing because during Angela Bassett's time, you, you
had to work with what people were giving you. And
that's why it's like, I commend, you know, people like
Angela Bassett and, and you know, that are from these
areas where you didn't have a lot of choices, but
(07:54):
they still made the choice to be intentional in things.
Another one of the things though, that I thought was
so amazing about this interview was the, That Angela Bassett
has this mindset around, you know, how it is being
a black actress in Hollywood and certain things happening and
not happening. She talked a bit about not being able
(08:16):
to get work after that 1993 film for Tina Turner,
What's Love Got to Do With It? Let's take a
listen to that.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
You said that after Tina Turner, you had a hard
time getting a role.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Why was that?
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, it was about 18 months after that, after the
role came out. Remember, it was during a period of
time where I guess roles were few and far between for,
you know, a woman of color, you know, of a
certain hue. And there wasn't very much like, oh, this
is the character. It's open to anyone, you know, the character.
(08:51):
We need white, 30, you know, the breakdown, the breakdowns
as they would come out. And it was the leading role,
a showy role. So are you going to make a
lateral move? Are you going to go upward? Or, you know,
what's the trajectory after something like after you've reached the ceilings?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Now, I will say, people have always yelled and screamed
to the top of their lungs how Angela Bassett should
have won an Oscar for what's Love Got to Do
With It, her portrayal of Tina Turner.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
She did not win the Oscar during that time for that, though.
She was nominated, but she did not win the Oscar.
But she did end up going on in January of
2024 to receive an honorary Academy Award. At the 14th
Governor's Award, which was, you know, it put her in
the position where she followed Cicely Tyson, another great who
(09:45):
in 2018 as an actress won the honorary Oscar. And
that put that put Angela Bass as the second black
woman to do so. But the people are like, you know,
that is great. And we are always going to champion her.
But she should have wanted back then um now i
say all that to say you're being intentional about what
(10:06):
you put out and what you take on You're showing
up and doing all the work. And then the accolades
are still not coming. And I remember when Michael B.
Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage during the Oscars
and Angela Bassett was nominated at that time for an
Oscar and it did not happen. And they took some
time to just real brief, real quick to acknowledge her.
(10:30):
And I remember how big of a conversation that was
because it was like, yo, how, how intentional was, How moving,
how influential, how hard does she have to fight to
get what she deserves? And I think what I'm saying
is so wonderful because y'all are like, yo, she's saying
it was hard to find work. How is that wonderful, Lauren?
It was her mindset in this for me. When she says,
(10:51):
when Lindsay asks her, do you believe that things have
changed for black actresses and black actors? And she's like,
you know, yeah, you know, because you can do it
on your own, which is what I was talking about
as we opened this segment. To be all of these
years in it, in an elder statesman in the sport,
and one of the greats, but also one of the
people who publicly the world has watched work so hard
(11:15):
and be the top 1% and excellent at your craft,
and be looked over and not given what you deserved
countless times, but to still have this... regal piece of
hope and optimism because you, I mean, literally you do,
you have, she has seen things change since the nineties, right?
(11:36):
Of course. But to overlook all of that, you know,
and still get up and do the work every single
day and still have this attitude where it's like, yeah,
but things have changed and we have so much more opportunity.
We don't even got to wait for the door to
open anymore. We can open it ourselves. I think that's
(11:56):
amazing to hear because I feel like a lot of
times when I'm listening to people that are in certain spaces,
I was going to say like their takes or answers
to a question like this would have been a little
bit jaded. And I don't even know if that's it, right? Like,
I don't know if it's jaded. I think, I think
everybody in the, when you think about like a civil rights,
(12:19):
like the civil rights movement or, you know, protests and
boycotts and certain things, I think everybody has a role
in the fight. I think, you know, this makes me
think about Issa Rae. She was at, you know, a
woman's event in L.A. that Variety put on about a
week or so ago. And she was talking about how
(12:40):
everything that's going on right now when it comes to
being a creative and just what's happening in our world
and how devastating things feel financially and creatively, it's all
men's fault. She actually says particularly white men. Let's take
a listen.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
This is all men's fault.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Like it's rich white men to be specific for this moment.
And I hate that I'm not passing the Bechdel test,
but it is hard to feel like a powerful.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Woman when men keep fucking everything up.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
So that's where I'm at, just like mentally. And that's
why I wrote a speech that sounds like this. But
it is very hard to feel inspired when you feel
helpless and useless.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Now i remember people being like well why it got
to be men's fault this is the problem it's like
why all the gender wars and then me listening though
as a black young woman in this figuring it out
i instantly understood what she meant because i knew that
she was talking about the fact that If we're looking
(13:50):
from the top down, we're talking about, you know, not
even just the studios in Hollywood, but a lot of
these institutions. And even just like where our country is
founded from, it's white men who traditionally have always been
in a position to change things and make things the
way that they want it to be. But at the
same time, while that is happening, we're in it and
we have to work and thrive in it. Issa Rae.
(14:11):
just signed this amazing deal with Paramount. She has new
projects coming out. And I saw people saying, well, how
dare Issa Rae when you're working with the white men?
But it's like, what else is her other choice? And
in this moment, I think Issa's role in the fight
is to be the person on the front lines saying
those things while also walking back into those meetings and
(14:31):
having to work and negotiate and partner with the same
white men that she is being very specific about. The
same way it's like we're here and we're in America
and we complain about a lot of things here, but
we ain't leaving because white men make it easier, more
convenient or just, you know, not as appeasing to us.
It's literally the same thing. But with Angela Bassett, I think,
you know, at first, because when I heard her answer,
(14:54):
I'm like my first thought for like the last, like
I would say this interview came out, you know, a
few days ago. I sat on it a bit because
I was like, why would she say yes? Like, yeah,
we can turn on our phones, but there are so
many people out here who trying to get by, trying
to get these stories told. And it's just not happening
just because you can turn on a phone. But at
the same time, I had to understand the different roles
(15:15):
in the fight. She comes from a position of she's
seen so much more than we have. And even though
things are not perfect, she's acknowledging the little bit of
change and opportunity that we do have. Because as an
elder statesman, she's here in the fight to remind us,
you can get through and come up on the other
side and do it so gracefully. and continue to provide
(15:37):
a living and a family and have a family and
provide for them and do all the things with understanding
that there are so many different ways that you can
fight back against these things. With her, it's the roles
that she took. It's the things that she fought to
be able to do even when people told her like, oh,
that makes no sense. Well, it makes sense for me
because I know what my people need to see, which
(15:59):
then would motivate a woman like Issa Rae to get
into the business and to be now on the front
lines and a person calling out things like she did
at the Variety Women's event. Something as simple as the
ability to be a storyteller and to have platform can
be so powerful and impactful if done the right way.
(16:22):
I think about that all the time. There's a lot
of people out here who are amazing at what they do,
You know, they get accredited and acclaimed by all of
the award shows and all the, you know, the major
outlets and the critics and the reviews. But then you
have an Angela Bassett and you have an Issa Rae.
(16:43):
And those are the type of creators and people, just
not even about what they do for work, but just people,
the cloth that they're cut from. That when I'm thinking
about career, I'm like, yeah, boom, boom. there like what's
the impact what's the longevity what's what's my role in
all of this and and where do i come in
(17:03):
another thing that i took from this too though was
just the preparedness of it all um you know they
talked to her about 9-1-1 they talked to her about
american horror story um and just all of the current
work that shoot it's everybody's talking to her about wakanda
um and returning to wakanda potentially in black panther 3
but And she talked a lot about when she took
(17:24):
the role for what's love got to do with it,
how prepared she had to be, like the discipline she
had to have. And a lot of times, you know,
I'm on here with you guys and I'm talking about
the discipline it takes to do anything, you know, whether
it's breaking down this news or going into the interviews
with you guys and trying to find. the balance of
(17:45):
the discipline with like everything else that is not in
line with my discipline or just understanding like what my
tunnel vision should look like at each phase in my career.
And I'm listening to her talk about what it took
for her to get into that, you know, get into
that discipline pocket. And the fact that she didn't even
know that if she had it in her and I'm like,
but you were Angela Bassett. But it reminded me that
(18:07):
in the moment, it may not feel as perfect or
you may not feel as perfectly prepared as you need to,
but rising to the occasion is in you and not
on you. And this is why people say, you know,
entertainment and song and word and poetry can literally change
(18:29):
lives because I don't know if y'all hear in my voice,
but the way that I'm talking about this interview and
the things that it inspired in me and the conversations
it made me have with myself, and with my peers
like this is this is how you use platform and
I don't even know if Lindsay Davis think thought about
it you know this this high or this like you
know spiritual when she did it I don't even know
(18:51):
if Angela Bassett when she decided to get into acting
she said she went to go see James Earl Jones
and she was just moved let's take a listen to
that So.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Let's go back to Angela as a teenager and you
see James Earl Jones perform in Of Mice and Men.
What was it about that that perhaps changed your trajectory?
He was just compelling and ferocious and larger than life
and believable. And the entire world, I bought into it.
(19:27):
And I was so moved and devastated and in tears,
you know, at the end of the performance. And I
thought that was just the most powerful thing that my
15-year-old self had ever experienced in the theater, in a
darkened room with others in a community of other folk.
(19:50):
sitting in chairs and uh it was it just changed
my life it's just a seminal moment and then to
um see him i'm in drama school years later walking
down the street on campus And he was in the
Yale Repertory production of Athol Fugard's play, Master Harold and
(20:11):
the Boys. And they said, oh, yeah, he's here performing,
you know, for six weeks. And I was like, oh,
my gosh. So I got to go backstage and work
backstage at the Yale Repertory Theater. And I told him
my little story.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
You told him that he was the inspiration.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
He was like, you were a baby then. Yeah. yeah
grown 19 year old now but yes yeah but he
was delightful and to see him over the years time
and time again i was we were honored that he
was at our wedding um because he and courtney had
(20:48):
worked together um of course in fences and it was
just he was just wonderful wonderful man and to speak
with him you know a couple of years ago before
he he passed still just as lovely as ever and
i was just like you're the reason netra that i
do what i do today you're the reason sir i don't.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Even know if when she the first time she saw
him on that stage if she knew that her career
would impact people that same way she felt it just
in her i don't even know if she knew that
but To be as blessed as she is in all
of this and be able to resonate and hit so
(21:30):
many different generations of people just through your words. But honestly,
with Angela Bassett, a lot of it is just with
her presence as well, too. It is something to be
studied and something to be watched. Literally. But before we
get out of here real quick, I do want to
mention to you guys that we are building out... the
(21:51):
visual aspect of the latest with Lauren La Rosa. And
I want you guys to be the first to know
when all of this stuff drops. So make sure you
head on over to my YouTube channel. Speaking of telling
stories and being impactful and really, really, really doing the
things and using the platform in a way that like
will stick with people for the long run. A good time.
I'm sorry, a long time, not a good time, is
(22:11):
what I'm here for. I want you guys to be
the first to know about all of that. So Lauren
LaRosa TV is my YouTube channel. When you go, make
sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel now. Now, when
you subscribe, make sure you also press that notification button
because we will be dropping some visuals over there on
Lauren LaRosa TV that accompany the podcast. But you guys
will always get stuff here exclusively and first on the
(22:34):
audio side of my Loretta's podcast. Thank y'all for rocking
with me. I tell you, every single episode, y'all could
be anywhere with any old body, but you choose to
be right here with me. I'll catch you guys in
my next episode.
Let's get, let's get, let's get to it, time to
do it.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything
and everybody. You hear that exclusive? You know she don't
lie about that, right?
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Lauren came in hot.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hey y'all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa and this is
another episode of The Latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is
your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news,
and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby. Now,
I want to get right on into a conversation that
is going to shake the room. The incomparable legendary iconic
(00:32):
miss angela bassett uh angela bassett is outside okay looking
good as always but she is actually everywhere right now
uh promoting american horror story so she sat down for
a conversation with lindsey davis over on abc news it's
called all access with lindsey davis And Lindsay Davis does
(00:53):
a really good job during this All Access interview series
that she has where they go beyond the headline and
they get into real in-depth conversations with talent about career
and journey. And y'all know I am always here for
those conversations. I think they just feed the soul and
feed the spirit the way that they need to. And
this one did that for me. So I wanted to
(01:13):
share it with you guys. So Angela Bassett, they kick
off the conversation talking about all things work and career
for her. And one of the things that I thought
was so amazing to hear, but wasn't surprising to me though,
because I think Angela Bassett has accumulated the type of
career that you feel the intention from. But I do know,
(01:35):
you know, like when Angela Bassett started acting all, you know,
these years ago, jobs are few far in between. So
it's always amazing to me how even in a scarcity,
like a scarce industry at the time when there weren't
a lot of things available to To hear actresses, you know,
like our OGs be like, but I was still intentional
(01:56):
because I understood what people that look like me needed
and did not need any more of. Angela Bassett kicks
this off literally talking about the fact that she would
choose certain roles for certain reasons. She even talks about,
you guys remember that Michael Jackson movie that Angela Bassett
was in, right? Which, honestly, very successful portrayal of Michael
Jackson's mother. She even talks about how she was told
(02:19):
before she took that role that she should not do it.
But because of her care for what her career says
and does and how it can change lives, she fought
back against that. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
You know, I was talking to a friend of mine
last evening. And somehow I reflected back on the Jacksons
when I portrayed Katherine Jackson. And I was saying that
I remember being called, you know, into my agent's office
and they were saying, you know, we don't think you
should do this role, this project because, you know, it's
(02:54):
Michael Jackson and the headlines are saying this and that, wacko,
you know, bubbles, the chimp, that sort of thing. And
I listened and I said, but I grew up you know,
they were my youth. I grew up and I'm not
playing that character. I'm playing their mother. And no matter
what you think, they love and revere their Black mother.
(03:17):
And I think that's an ethos that is most definitely
something I want to put into the realm, into the air.
The love, respect, and reverence of a mother and a
Black mother. And that's why I chose that role. It
went on to, you know, have 40 million viewership, 40
(03:37):
million eyes viewing it every evening. So it turned out
to be a great move, but it was more than
just the role.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It's what the role represented. Now that movie was in 1992.
Angela Bassett started acting. It was back in college because
she talks a bit about, you know, being on college
campuses and, you know, you know, what inspired her and
how the theater inspired her. But Angela Bassett, I mean,
a lot of people will point to the Tina Turner,
(04:09):
What's Love Got to Do With It in 1993 as
one of Angela Bassett's like big major roles. But I
know in my world of things, like I remember watching
Angela Bassett play Michael Jackson's mom. But I don't know.
To me, she's always felt like an icon. And hearing
her say that at that point when she was building
(04:31):
to even get to that status or be regarded in
the way that she is, there was pushback. But she
went against the grain. It's like the flip of the coin.
You know, you think about a lot of actors and
actresses and just creatives in general who come from, you know,
these decades where... if you got a shot at something,
you needed to grab that shot and run as fast
as you could because it wasn't happening for everybody the
(04:54):
way it was happening for others. The fact that she
was so intentional during that time, it's almost like a
form of like resistance or advocacy. And I know now people,
you know, love to talk about, you know, putting black
people on television and what we don't have as far
as like, you know, what we see on TV when
we turn things on and, And other people will point
(05:17):
out the tragedies of the things that we do have
to watch when we turn things on. Like, you know,
people be so mad at like the Zeus's and the
loving hip-hops and all of that because it's like the
counter conversation to what Angela Bassett is talking about here.
And I understand all of it, but I think it's
so much easier now to talk about, and let me
not say easy, because you still hear actors and actresses,
(05:41):
black actors and actresses talk about Their fight to be
able to tell certain stories and break through certain stories
and get support on certain stories. But I think it's
a bit different now because we have all these other
means and ways to get our creative out. We can
literally set our phone up. and talk about whatever we
want and post it to a platform for free. You know,
(06:02):
there's a lot of like these smaller budget films that
are breaking through in the mainstream and that are really,
it's basically getting to a point where if they don't
want to allow you to do it, you can go
figure out a way to do it on your own
anyway and figure out some real money around it. Like
that's why whenever I talk about like black television and
black creators or any of that, you're not ever going
(06:25):
to really hear me down like, a Zeus network or,
you know, people's decisions to be on, like, a love
of hip-hop. Certain shows might not be my cup of
tea of things I like to watch or whatever, but,
you know, I do get into my ratchet TV. I love,
you know, certain shows and certain things. Like, I was
hooked on Blueface and Krishan's reality show. Talking about Angela
Bassett and Blueface and Krishan in the same... Crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
But.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
I'm saying the reason why I don't down those things
is because I feel like at the end of the day,
it takes something. And it takes a lot sometimes for
you to even get to a point where your business
is sustainable and is doing that. And it's putting things
out that are actually reaching people. And Zeus is doing that.
But it is a way different type of conversation when
we don't have all of the Zeus networks or the Instagrams,
(07:13):
the Facebooks, YouTube. YouTube is literally right now putting it
out there. Well, they didn't put it out there, but
there are sources that are saying that YouTube is currently
going after creators and saying, hey, let's do basically a
development deal. Let us give you some money to further
develop this idea or, you know, this show that already
(07:34):
lives on our channel. So you won't take it to
like the Netflix's and the other streamers in the world.
That is amazing because during Angela Bassett's time, you, you
had to work with what people were giving you. And
that's why it's like, I commend, you know, people like
Angela Bassett and, and you know, that are from these
areas where you didn't have a lot of choices, but
(07:54):
they still made the choice to be intentional in things.
Another one of the things though, that I thought was
so amazing about this interview was the, That Angela Bassett
has this mindset around, you know, how it is being
a black actress in Hollywood and certain things happening and
not happening. She talked a bit about not being able
(08:16):
to get work after that 1993 film for Tina Turner,
What's Love Got to Do With It? Let's take a
listen to that.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
You said that after Tina Turner, you had a hard
time getting a role.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Why was that?
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, it was about 18 months after that, after the
role came out. Remember, it was during a period of
time where I guess roles were few and far between for,
you know, a woman of color, you know, of a
certain hue. And there wasn't very much like, oh, this
is the character. It's open to anyone, you know, the character.
(08:51):
We need white, 30, you know, the breakdown, the breakdowns
as they would come out. And it was the leading role,
a showy role. So are you going to make a
lateral move? Are you going to go upward? Or, you know,
what's the trajectory after something like after you've reached the ceilings?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Now, I will say, people have always yelled and screamed
to the top of their lungs how Angela Bassett should
have won an Oscar for what's Love Got to Do
With It, her portrayal of Tina Turner.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
She did not win the Oscar during that time for that, though.
She was nominated, but she did not win the Oscar.
But she did end up going on in January of
2024 to receive an honorary Academy Award. At the 14th
Governor's Award, which was, you know, it put her in
the position where she followed Cicely Tyson, another great who
(09:45):
in 2018 as an actress won the honorary Oscar. And
that put that put Angela Bass as the second black
woman to do so. But the people are like, you know,
that is great. And we are always going to champion her.
But she should have wanted back then um now i
say all that to say you're being intentional about what
(10:06):
you put out and what you take on You're showing
up and doing all the work. And then the accolades
are still not coming. And I remember when Michael B.
Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage during the Oscars
and Angela Bassett was nominated at that time for an
Oscar and it did not happen. And they took some
time to just real brief, real quick to acknowledge her.
(10:30):
And I remember how big of a conversation that was
because it was like, yo, how, how intentional was, How moving,
how influential, how hard does she have to fight to
get what she deserves? And I think what I'm saying
is so wonderful because y'all are like, yo, she's saying
it was hard to find work. How is that wonderful, Lauren?
It was her mindset in this for me. When she says,
(10:51):
when Lindsay asks her, do you believe that things have
changed for black actresses and black actors? And she's like,
you know, yeah, you know, because you can do it
on your own, which is what I was talking about
as we opened this segment. To be all of these
years in it, in an elder statesman in the sport,
and one of the greats, but also one of the
people who publicly the world has watched work so hard
(11:15):
and be the top 1% and excellent at your craft,
and be looked over and not given what you deserved
countless times, but to still have this... regal piece of
hope and optimism because you, I mean, literally you do,
you have, she has seen things change since the nineties, right?
(11:36):
Of course. But to overlook all of that, you know,
and still get up and do the work every single
day and still have this attitude where it's like, yeah,
but things have changed and we have so much more opportunity.
We don't even got to wait for the door to
open anymore. We can open it ourselves. I think that's
(11:56):
amazing to hear because I feel like a lot of
times when I'm listening to people that are in certain spaces,
I was going to say like their takes or answers
to a question like this would have been a little
bit jaded. And I don't even know if that's it, right? Like,
I don't know if it's jaded. I think, I think
everybody in the, when you think about like a civil rights,
(12:19):
like the civil rights movement or, you know, protests and
boycotts and certain things, I think everybody has a role
in the fight. I think, you know, this makes me
think about Issa Rae. She was at, you know, a
woman's event in L.A. that Variety put on about a
week or so ago. And she was talking about how
(12:40):
everything that's going on right now when it comes to
being a creative and just what's happening in our world
and how devastating things feel financially and creatively, it's all
men's fault. She actually says particularly white men. Let's take
a listen.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
This is all men's fault.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Like it's rich white men to be specific for this moment.
And I hate that I'm not passing the Bechdel test,
but it is hard to feel like a powerful.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Woman when men keep fucking everything up.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
So that's where I'm at, just like mentally. And that's
why I wrote a speech that sounds like this. But
it is very hard to feel inspired when you feel
helpless and useless.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Now i remember people being like well why it got
to be men's fault this is the problem it's like
why all the gender wars and then me listening though
as a black young woman in this figuring it out
i instantly understood what she meant because i knew that
she was talking about the fact that If we're looking
(13:50):
from the top down, we're talking about, you know, not
even just the studios in Hollywood, but a lot of
these institutions. And even just like where our country is
founded from, it's white men who traditionally have always been
in a position to change things and make things the
way that they want it to be. But at the
same time, while that is happening, we're in it and
we have to work and thrive in it. Issa Rae.
(14:11):
just signed this amazing deal with Paramount. She has new
projects coming out. And I saw people saying, well, how
dare Issa Rae when you're working with the white men?
But it's like, what else is her other choice? And
in this moment, I think Issa's role in the fight
is to be the person on the front lines saying
those things while also walking back into those meetings and
(14:31):
having to work and negotiate and partner with the same
white men that she is being very specific about. The
same way it's like we're here and we're in America
and we complain about a lot of things here, but
we ain't leaving because white men make it easier, more
convenient or just, you know, not as appeasing to us.
It's literally the same thing. But with Angela Bassett, I think,
you know, at first, because when I heard her answer,
(14:54):
I'm like my first thought for like the last, like
I would say this interview came out, you know, a
few days ago. I sat on it a bit because
I was like, why would she say yes? Like, yeah,
we can turn on our phones, but there are so
many people out here who trying to get by, trying
to get these stories told. And it's just not happening
just because you can turn on a phone. But at
the same time, I had to understand the different roles
(15:15):
in the fight. She comes from a position of she's
seen so much more than we have. And even though
things are not perfect, she's acknowledging the little bit of
change and opportunity that we do have. Because as an
elder statesman, she's here in the fight to remind us,
you can get through and come up on the other
side and do it so gracefully. and continue to provide
(15:37):
a living and a family and have a family and
provide for them and do all the things with understanding
that there are so many different ways that you can
fight back against these things. With her, it's the roles
that she took. It's the things that she fought to
be able to do even when people told her like, oh,
that makes no sense. Well, it makes sense for me
because I know what my people need to see, which
(15:59):
then would motivate a woman like Issa Rae to get
into the business and to be now on the front
lines and a person calling out things like she did
at the Variety Women's event. Something as simple as the
ability to be a storyteller and to have platform can
be so powerful and impactful if done the right way.
(16:22):
I think about that all the time. There's a lot
of people out here who are amazing at what they do,
You know, they get accredited and acclaimed by all of
the award shows and all the, you know, the major
outlets and the critics and the reviews. But then you
have an Angela Bassett and you have an Issa Rae.
(16:43):
And those are the type of creators and people, just
not even about what they do for work, but just people,
the cloth that they're cut from. That when I'm thinking
about career, I'm like, yeah, boom, boom. there like what's
the impact what's the longevity what's what's my role in
all of this and and where do i come in
(17:03):
another thing that i took from this too though was
just the preparedness of it all um you know they
talked to her about 9-1-1 they talked to her about
american horror story um and just all of the current
work that shoot it's everybody's talking to her about wakanda
um and returning to wakanda potentially in black panther 3
but And she talked a lot about when she took
(17:24):
the role for what's love got to do with it,
how prepared she had to be, like the discipline she
had to have. And a lot of times, you know,
I'm on here with you guys and I'm talking about
the discipline it takes to do anything, you know, whether
it's breaking down this news or going into the interviews
with you guys and trying to find. the balance of
(17:45):
the discipline with like everything else that is not in
line with my discipline or just understanding like what my
tunnel vision should look like at each phase in my career.
And I'm listening to her talk about what it took
for her to get into that, you know, get into
that discipline pocket. And the fact that she didn't even
know that if she had it in her and I'm like,
but you were Angela Bassett. But it reminded me that
(18:07):
in the moment, it may not feel as perfect or
you may not feel as perfectly prepared as you need to,
but rising to the occasion is in you and not
on you. And this is why people say, you know,
entertainment and song and word and poetry can literally change
(18:29):
lives because I don't know if y'all hear in my voice,
but the way that I'm talking about this interview and
the things that it inspired in me and the conversations
it made me have with myself, and with my peers
like this is this is how you use platform and
I don't even know if Lindsay Davis think thought about
it you know this this high or this like you
know spiritual when she did it I don't even know
(18:51):
if Angela Bassett when she decided to get into acting
she said she went to go see James Earl Jones
and she was just moved let's take a listen to
that So.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Let's go back to Angela as a teenager and you
see James Earl Jones perform in Of Mice and Men.
What was it about that that perhaps changed your trajectory?
He was just compelling and ferocious and larger than life
and believable. And the entire world, I bought into it.
(19:27):
And I was so moved and devastated and in tears,
you know, at the end of the performance. And I
thought that was just the most powerful thing that my
15-year-old self had ever experienced in the theater, in a
darkened room with others in a community of other folk.
(19:50):
sitting in chairs and uh it was it just changed
my life it's just a seminal moment and then to
um see him i'm in drama school years later walking
down the street on campus And he was in the
Yale Repertory production of Athol Fugard's play, Master Harold and
(20:11):
the Boys. And they said, oh, yeah, he's here performing,
you know, for six weeks. And I was like, oh,
my gosh. So I got to go backstage and work
backstage at the Yale Repertory Theater. And I told him
my little story.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
You told him that he was the inspiration.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
He was like, you were a baby then. Yeah. yeah
grown 19 year old now but yes yeah but he
was delightful and to see him over the years time
and time again i was we were honored that he
was at our wedding um because he and courtney had
(20:48):
worked together um of course in fences and it was
just he was just wonderful wonderful man and to speak
with him you know a couple of years ago before
he he passed still just as lovely as ever and
i was just like you're the reason netra that i
do what i do today you're the reason sir i don't.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Even know if when she the first time she saw
him on that stage if she knew that her career
would impact people that same way she felt it just
in her i don't even know if she knew that
but To be as blessed as she is in all
of this and be able to resonate and hit so
(21:30):
many different generations of people just through your words. But honestly,
with Angela Bassett, a lot of it is just with
her presence as well, too. It is something to be
studied and something to be watched. Literally. But before we
get out of here real quick, I do want to
mention to you guys that we are building out... the
(21:51):
visual aspect of the latest with Lauren La Rosa. And
I want you guys to be the first to know
when all of this stuff drops. So make sure you
head on over to my YouTube channel. Speaking of telling
stories and being impactful and really, really, really doing the
things and using the platform in a way that like
will stick with people for the long run. A good time.
I'm sorry, a long time, not a good time, is
(22:11):
what I'm here for. I want you guys to be
the first to know about all of that. So Lauren
LaRosa TV is my YouTube channel. When you go, make
sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel now. Now, when
you subscribe, make sure you also press that notification button
because we will be dropping some visuals over there on
Lauren LaRosa TV that accompany the podcast. But you guys
will always get stuff here exclusively and first on the
(22:34):
audio side of my Loretta's podcast. Thank y'all for rocking
with me. I tell you, every single episode, y'all could
be anywhere with any old body, but you choose to
be right here with me. I'll catch you guys in
my next episode.
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