Angela Bassett on Losing Oscar for ‘Black Panther 2’: ‘I Was Deserving’

Angela Bassett recently told Town & Country magazine that she was “deserving” of the best supporting actress Oscar for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Bassett was nominated in 2023 but lost to Jamie Lee Curtis for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Her stoic reaction as Curtis’ name was called went viral on social media.

“I found it interesting,” Bassett said of the loss and the reaction that ensued. “Interesting that I wouldn’t be allowed to be disappointed at an outcome where I thought I was deserving.”

“I love applauding people,” she added. “But in that moment … No, I have put in: put in the time, put in good work over time. I didn’t think that was a gift. I thought it was a given.”

Bassett earned critical acclaim for her performance as Queen Ramonda in the “Black Panther” sequel, which made her the first actor be Oscar nominated from a Marvel movie. Prior to the Academy Awards, Bassett picked up supporting actress wins at the Globe Globes and Critics’ Choice Award. But the race remained somewhat opened after Curtis won the SAG Award and Kerry Condon won the BAFTA for “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Curtis prevailed at the Oscars.

“I was gobsmacked! I was,” Basset told Oprah last year about losing the Oscar. “I thought I handled it very well. That was my intention, to handle it very well. It was, of course, a supreme disappointment, and disappointment is human. So I thought, yes, I was disappointed and I handled it like a human being.”

Bassett said at the time that handling the Oscar loss with grace was of the utmost importance “for myself and for my children who were there with me.”

“There are going to be these moments of disappointment that you’ll experience, but how do you handle yourself in the midst of them?” she added. “We’re going to smile, we’re going to be gracious, we’re going to be kind, we’re going to party anyway.”

Prior to “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Bassett had only been nominated for an Oscar once before. She competed for best actress in 1994 for playing Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” a performance that also won her a Golden Globe. Holly Hunter won the Oscar that year for “The Piano.” After her 2023 loss, Bassett was named a recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 2024.