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Throughout her illustrious career, Angela Bassett has played a Queen in Black Panther and the President in the Mission: Impossible series. The way she varies the two characters is interesting.
Speaking to ClutchPoints at the junket for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Bassett broke down the differences between the characters. She did concede that they are both high in power, but there is a key difference.
“ I think with the Queen, I had more latitude for her, her passion for her emotion,” explained Bassett. “You know, with President Erika Sloane, I think you have to maintain a certain amount of calm and resolve despite the stress at all.”
Bassett has to contain her emotions as the president. Since her character isn't defusing bombs, she did not sense the stress on set that other actors may have felt. Still, she was holding her breath watching Tom Cruise do his thing the first time she watched Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.
“Not, not to the degree that I sensed when I saw the movie for the first time,” said Bassett. “It feels like it was incredibly stressful, but I think that's because it [her performance] was juxtaposed against what Tom was going through, which was absolutely brilliant in how they turned up the tension.”
Angela Bassett's roles in the Black Panther and Mission: Impossible series
Bassett's role as Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther franchise has earned her critical acclaim. She garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Both Black Panther movies have been box office hits. They have grossed over $2 billion cumulatively and received several award nominations.
Bassett joined the Mission: Impossible series in 2018, starring in Fallout. She then returned in The Final Reckoning as President Sloane.
Her breakthrough came in 1993 when Bassett portrayed Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It. Bassett was nominated for Best Actress for her performance as the iconic singer. While Bassett has not won any Oscars, she was given the Academy Honorary Award in 0024.
The Tina Turner biopic launched her career. Bassett would subsequently star in Boyz n the Hood, Malcolm X, and Vampire in Brooklyn. Additionally, she starred in Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen, playing the head of the Secret Service.
On the small screen, Bassett has starred in several seasons of Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story. She also stars in 9-1-1 and played the president again in Zero Day alongside Robert De Niro.
