Angela Bassett discusses scarcity of roles for women of color

Actress Angela Bassett has discussed the systemic challenges she faced regarding career opportunities following her Oscar-nominated performance in the 1993 Tina Turner biopic, ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’. In an interview with ABC’s Linsey Davis, Bassett noted that during that period, roles for women of color were “few and far between.”

Bassett reflected on the difficulty of navigating a career trajectory after reaching a high professional ceiling, questioning whether to make lateral or upward moves. Despite these historical barriers, she observed that the industry landscape has “improved tremendously,” noting that modern technology allows performers to create and distribute their own successful content.

Her career includes notable roles in ‘Boyz n the Hood’, ‘Malcolm X’, and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. Recent and upcoming projects include the Netflix film ‘Damsel’, the series ‘Zero Day’, and the animated feature ‘Wildwood’.