Angela Bassett hails late Black Panther costar Chadwick Boseman as she accepts Critics' Choice award: 'We couldn't have made history, then and now, without you'
- Actress, 64, hailed late star who died at 43 from colon cancer in July of 2020
- She thanked him for the 'love and light surrounding us'
- Bassett became the first star to win a major individual acting honor for a Marvel film when she won at the Golden Globes last week
Angela Bassett praised her late Black Panther costar Chadwick Boseman as she collected the Critics' Choice award for her performance in the film's sequel Sunday.
'We couldn't have made history, then and now, without you,' said the actress, 64, after she won the honors for Best Supporting Actress in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - in which she plays the Queen Mother of Wakanda, Ramonda - after making history at the Golden Globes with a win in the same category.
Bassett hailed the late star who played King T'Challa - Boseman died at 43 in August of 2020 following a four-year battle with colon cancer - for the 'love and light surrounding us' as she accepted the honors at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The latest: Angela Bassett, 64, praised her late Black Panther costar Chadwick Boseman as she collected the Critics' Choice award for her performance in the film's sequel Sunday at the Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles
Bassett was nominated in the category against Jessie Buckley (Women Talking), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery).
Bassett, who is the first star to win a major individual acting honor for a Marvel film, thanked her fans and 'Disney and Marvel family,' as well as filmmaker Ryan Coogler.
She said that she was 'proud of the work that we did' on the film, adding, 'We showed the world that we could create and lead a billion-dollar box-office success.
'And my prayer is that that door remains open and the sky is the limit for other Black creators and storytellers around the world to join us.'
Bassett hailed Boseman, who died at 43 in August of 2020 following a four-year battle with colon cancer, for the 'love and light surrounding us.' They were pictured in 2019 in LA
Bassett said that she was 'proud of the work that we did' on the Black Panther franchise, adding, 'We showed the world that we could create and lead a billion-dollar box-office success'
The actress won the honors for Best Supporting Actress in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which she plays the Queen Mother of Wakanda, Ramonda
Bassett reflected on when she 'fell in love with acting,' in taking in 'a school trip to Washington, D.C., watching James Earl Jones in a production of Of Mice and Men at the Kennedy Center.'
She continued: 'I knew in that moment that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to make people feel the way that I felt, stirring in my seat as those actors drew me in, scene by scene, into their story.'
She said that while she was unsure of how her path would unfold and 'what might be reasonably possible,' hailing 'Black actresses with extraordinary talent' who paved the way for her, including Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Rosalind Cash and Diahann Carroll.
Said Bassett: 'It was their extraordinary work that showed me that there was a place for me in this business of show, especially at a time where Black women weren't shown in a significant way, oftentimes - not really present on television or the big screen - but thank God for them.'
Bassett looked amazing at the award show clad in a black top with a ruffled black skirt with a gold choker necklace
Bassett hailed 'Black actresses with extraordinary talent' who paved the way for her, including Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Rosalind Cash and Diahann Carroll
Bassett earned a milestone at last week's Golden Globes when she became the first actor to win a major individual acting honor for a motion picture under the Marvel Comics banner
Bassett earned a milestone at last week's Golden Globes when she became the first actor to win a major individual acting honor for a motion picture under the Marvel Comics banner.
Bassett, who previously claimed the Best Actress Golden Globe for playing Tina Turner in 1993's What's Love Got to Do With It - was the first woman to be nominated for their performance in a superhero-driven film.
Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Jack Nicholson (Batman), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), had previously been nominated for Golden Globes, with the latter two winning (both Golden Globes and Oscars) for their roles in the DC Comics films.
Bassett was previously honored for her portrayal of Queen Ramonda in the 2018 film Black Panther, as the cast won the Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards.
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