Angela Bassett says roles were ‘few and far between’ after her Oscar-nominated turn as Tina Turner

The actress recalls wondering what could possibly come next when opportunities for Black women in Hollywood remained limited.

Angela Bassett is opening up about how difficult it was to find her next major role after her acclaimed portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 film “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” The Oscar-nominated actress says opportunities for Black women were “few and far between” at the time, making the next step in her career particularly challenging.

In an exclusive preview of an All Access interview with ABC News, reported by People, Bassett, 68, recalled the casting environment she encountered after “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

“Remember, it was during a period of time where, I guess, roles were few and far between for a woman of color… you know, of a certain hue,” Bassett said. She recalled that casting opportunities were often narrowly defined, with projects frequently seeking white actresses rather than opening roles to women of different racial backgrounds.

For Bassett, the challenge came immediately after one of the most defining performances of her career. Bassett’s portrayal of Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and became one of her signature performances. “Are you going to make a lateral move? Are you going to go upward?” she recalled asking herself. “You know, what’s the trajectory after something like [that], after you’ve reached the ceiling?” The question reflected the difficulty of following a highly visible leading role in an industry where opportunities for Black women were already limited.

More than three decades later, Bassett said she believes opportunities for Black women in entertainment have improved significantly. “You have a phone in your hand, you can make your own movie and content, and it can be very successful,” she said. “So things have changed.” Her comments point to the growing ability of filmmakers and performers to create and distribute their own work outside of traditional Hollywood gatekeeping.

Bassett has continued to build a career across film and television, including her role as Queen Ramonda in Marvel’s “Black Panther” films and her long-running role on “9-1-1.” Angela Bassett’s reflection speaks to a period when Black actresses often had to navigate a much narrower range of opportunities after major performances.

Her experience also highlights the importance of representation not only in front of the camera, but in the decisions about which stories receive funding, casting opportunities and distribution. Bassett’s career ultimately continued well beyond her portrayal of Tina Turner, but her recollection offers a look at the professional barriers she says she encountered while trying to determine what came next.