Angela Bassett hails 'extraordinary' black actresses who made her Critics Choice win possible
Angela Bassett picked up the gong for best supporting actress at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night, and in her speech, paid tribute to "extraordinary" black actresses who paved the way for women like her in the industry.
The actress, who won the award for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, beat out Jessie Buckley, Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu and Janelle Monáe to the gong. Find out which actresses Angela mentioned and what she said about them in this video.
WATCH: Angela Bassett hails 'extraordinary' actresses who made her Critics Choice win possible
Elsewhere in her speech, she recalled the moment she "fell in love with acting" while on a "school trip to Washington, D.C., watching James Earl Jones in a production of Of Mice and Men at the Kennedy Center."
"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.
Angela also paid tribute to her late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020 following a four-year battle with colon cancer.
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"I'm proud of the work that we did with Black Panther and now, with Wakanda Forever," she began. "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.
Angela attended the ceremony with her husband Courtney B. Vance
"Thank you to Chadwick for your love and light surrounding us. We couldn't have made history then and now without you."
Fans took to Twitter to comment on the emotional speech, with one person writing: "I can't be the only one who cried over #angelabassett speech. I cried my eyes out. Well deserved," while another added: "An amazing, beautiful, touching and heart-achingly accurate speech from an incredible woman, pioneer and unbelievably believable actor."
The 64-year-old attended the awards with her husband Courtney B Vance, to whom she's been married since 1997. The pair share two children, Bronwyn and Slater. Watch the video for the story behind their romance.
WATCH: Angela Bassett and Courtney B Vance's love story
Other big winners of the night included Brendan Fraser and Jennifer Coolidge. See the full list of winners here. Hollywood's brightest stars turned out for the spectacular event, including Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, who were amongst the best dressed stars. Anya Taylor-Joy also made an appearance, wearing a 20-carat diamond!
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