Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Angela Bassett finally gets her hands on an Academy Award as the revered actor will be one of three Hollywood veterans to receive an honorary Oscar.
Per Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Bassett will be presented with the honorary Oscar at 2023's Governor's Awards, set to take place on Nov. 18 in Los Angeles. Bassett will be one of three actors to receive the special Academy Award at the upcoming event alongside Mel Brooks, one of the few actors in history to hold an Oscar, Grammy Award, Emmy Award and Tony Award, and film editor Carol Littleton, known best for her work on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Regarding Bassett's inclusion among the honorary Oscar recipients, Academy President Janet Yang said, "Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting."
Bassett has previously been nominated for an Academy Award on two occasions. The first nod came for her role as late rock and roll icon Tina Turner in the 1993 biographical film, What's Love Got to Do with It, receiving a Best Actress nomination which ended up going to The Piano's Holly Hunter. At the 95th Academy Awards in March, Bassett was up for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Queen Ramonda in Wakanda Forever. However, she lost out to Everything Everywhere All at Once's Jamie Lee Curtis to the ire of many fans.
Despite losing out on Best Supporting Actress, Bassett made history with the nomination, becoming the first Marvel Cinematic Universe actor to score a major Oscar nod. Furthermore, she won the Golden Globe for her showing as Ramonda, also a maiden achievement for the MCU.
Angela Bassett Steals the Show in Wakanda Forever
Bassett's performance in Wakanda Forever was widely lauded as her character tried to help her family push on after the sudden passing of her son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) from a mysterious illness at the start of the film. Along the way, Ramonda faced multiple conflicts as she excommunicated Okoye (Danai Gurira) from the Dora Milaje. She also had issues with Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his interactions with her daughter Shuri (Letitia Wright). Later in Wakanda Forever, Namor kills Ramonda during a confrontation, though Ramonda later appears from the Ancestral Realm to talk Shuri, who succeeded T'Challa as the new Black Panther, out of getting revenge.
Though Bassett's character was killed off, it's unknown whether Ramonda will appear again in Black Panther 3 should it come to fruition. Wright initially claimed Black Panther 3 was in development, though she later walked back her comments. Meanwhile, Bassett, who celebrates her 65th birthday in August, is set to star in the upcoming Netflix fantasy film, Damsel, which is scheduled for release on Oct. 13.
Fans can stream Wakanda Forever via Disney+.
Source: Variety