I thought of Angela Bassett today. Last night, we watched her in a small part in a Netflix movie called “Damsel” starring Milllie Bobbie Lee or Bobbi Millie Lee. I’m not sure. The child who was in Stranger Things — excellent as the character “Eleven.”
Angela was in this nothing burger small part and she did well as per usual, because she’s a professional, but I was left thinking, does she need cash? And then I thought about her career. She is one of those actors who has magnificent training, artistry and beauty but there’s no where for her to showcase her range. Like she was never the star of a film like “Damsel.” This is a lady who could and should have had the career of a Cate Blanchett, a wide-ranging buffet of commercial superhero pictures and smaller, weirder character pics. I, as a fan, am robbed of what this could look like but man, it’s gotta be brutal for her and other actors of color who are just on the sidelines b/c there isn’t material out there to encompass their range or feature them as the center of the story.
And dude? the lady is 65. LOOK AT HER OMG