Angela Bassett reflects on her disappointment after losing the Oscar to Jamie Lee Curtis at the 2023 Academy Awards.
The 9-1-1 star was nominated in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category for her work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, Curtis took the trophy for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Following her loss, Bassett was questioned about her reaction after not winning, which she says in a new interview she “found it interesting.”
“Interesting that I wouldn’t be allowed to be disappointed at an outcome where I thought I was deserving,” she told Town & Country. “I love applauding people. But in that moment…”
She continued, “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 would receive an honorary Academy Award at the 2024 Governor’s Awards, where she acknowledged all the Black actresses who had paved the way.
“Take comfort knowing that your performances have given hope, offered a different perspective, and for others, just pure joy in a time of need,” she said during her acceptance speech. “Never allow fear, frustration, or disappointment to get in the way of the blessings that are divinely and deservedly yours.”
She continued, “Remember who you are and who our ancestors intended us to be. I proudly share this honor with women who stand up when they are told to stand back, who speak up when they are silenced, who remain determined when they are told they are defeated.”
Bassett had previously addressed her Oscars reaction in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, telling the talk show host, “I thought I handled it very well, and that was my intention: to handle it very well. It was, of course, a supreme disappointment, and disappointment is human, so yes, I was disappointed, and I handled it like a human being.”
