Angela Bassett Scores 2023 Oscar Nod For ‘Wakanda Forever’
Written by djfrosty on January 24, 2023
Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty
Renowned actress Angela Bassett secured an anticipated Oscar nomination for Wakanda Forever, one of a few for the blockbuster film.
On Tuesday morning (Jan. 24), the Academy announced the list of nominees for the 95th Academy Awards. Angela Bassett was nominated for her role of Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel film Wakanda Forever, making history in a three-fold fashion. She’s the first person of color, the first woman, and the first Marvel Studios actor to obtain an Oscar nomination for a role in a film adapted from a comic book.
Her nomination stands out among the few nominations that the 2022 blockbuster received from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The Rihanna & Tems single “Lift Me Up” (written with composer Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler) was nominated for Best Original Song. Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick were nominated for Best Visual Effects. Legendary industry designer Ruth E. Carter received a nomination for Best Costume Design, and Camille Friend and Joel Harlow were nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
For the 64-year-old veteran actress, this is her second Oscar nomination. She had been nominated for Best Actress in 1993 for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. Bassett is considered to be the favorite to win this go-round even as critics’ favorite Everything Everywhere All At Once (which dominated the 2023 Oscars nomination list) has two actresses in the category in Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Her riveting work recently won the Critics Choice Award and most recently the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. During her acceptance speech for the Globes award, she spoke of how the cast and crew banded together to honor the late Chadwick Boseman in filming Wakanda Forever.
“We have joy in knowing that with this historic Black Panther series, it is a part of his legacy that he helped to lead us to we showed the world what Black unity, leadership, and love looks like beyond, behind, and in front of the camera.”
The 95th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California Sunday, March 12, and will be aired live on ABC.