The Most Challenging Role of Angela Bassett’s Career Is Surprising

One of the most underrated talents of her generation, Angela Bassett is a terrific actor, director, and producer who radiates elegance and sophistication. The two-time Oscar nominee and winner of two Golden Globes began her career in 1985, starring in such seminal movies as John Singleton’s Boyz n The Hood and Spike Lee’s Malcolm X in the early ’90s. One year after starring in the latter, Bassett took on her most challenging role in the Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It, earning her first Academy Award nod following her outstanding performance.

While accurately portraying a real-life character always presents an added responsibility, in 2015, Bassett discussed how difficult her experience was while making What’s Love Got to Do with It. In addition to the grueling filming schedule, Bassett spoke about her hasty audition period, the intimidation of playing such a musical icon, what drew her to the role in the first place, and more. With Bassett’s current show 9-1-1 recently moving from Fox to ABC, looking back at the challenges her sole Best Leading Actress nomination presented is in order.

What Is What’s Love Got To Do With It About?

Directed by Brian Gibson, What’s Love Got to Do with It is a rousing musical biopic chronicling pop singer Tina Turner’s (born Anna Mae Bullock) personal and professional life. The script was written by MTV news anchor Kurt Loder and Kate Lanier, based on Turner’s 1986 memoir, I, Tina.

Although the script takes cues from Turner’s autobiography, creative liberties sanitized her character and increased the dramatic stakes of the story. For instance, Turner’s affair with saxophonist Raymond Hill, which led to the birth of their son, was omitted. Another example includes Ike Turner (Laurence Fishburne) terrifying Tina with a gun at the Ritz Theater, fabricated for dramatic purposes in the film.

Despite the vast liberties taken, What’s Love Got to Do with It was a critical and commercial hit in June 1993. The film boasts a 97% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Rating and a 76 Metascore. Bassett and Fishburne each earned Leading Oscar nominations for their powerfully gripping performances as two star-crossed soulmates.

The film also succeeded at the box office, grossing $39 million against a $15 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Yet, for all the film’s triumphs, Bassett had the most difficult time making a movie in her career. Speaking with Interview Magazine, Bassett detailed the most significant challenges she faced while making the Tina Turner biopic. Despite the joy of celebrating her sole Oscar-nod at the time, the challenges Bassett faced were not what most fans expected.

How Did Angela Bassett Become Involved With the Project?

The first challenge Bassett faced was becoming involved with the project right before production commenced. Before Bassett auditioned in October 1992, Whitney Huston earned the part but had to bow out due to her pregnancy. Other actors up for the role included Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams, Janet Jackson, Pam Grier, and Robin Givens (via The L.A. Times). Jennifer Lewis tried out for the lead but was instead cast as Tina’s mother, Zelma Bullock, despite being one year older than Bassett.

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Following her audition, Bassett earned the lead role as Tina Turner two months before production began in December 1992. Bassett learned how to speak, sing, move, and dance like Turner in a short time. She originally wanted to sing in the film, but the rushed prep time disallowed such training. Speaking to Interview Magazine, she talks about the difficulties of lip-syncing, saying:

It was hard, because there were rough mixes and she’s [Turner] very extemporaneous. You’ve got to know every inflection and every breath she takes.

Beyond the lip sync challenges, Bassett discussed her grueling shooting schedule and other difficulties while making the movie. One of the most nerve-racking hardships involved Tina Turner watching Bassett’s performance on set in real-time.

Why Was the Movie So Challenging?

Despite starring in several previous movies, What’s Love Got to Do with It marked Bassett’s first leading performance in a mainstream Hollywood film. As such, Bassett got an eye-opening lesson on the challenges of being the top-billed actor on the call sheet. When asked what her most vexing challenge was in the film, Bassett declared:

“It was the most challenging thing I’ve done. Seventeen hours a day. You’re basically in every frame of the movie. Your emotions are called up all the time. I would have my little mini-breakdowns just before dance rehearsal. Then I’d think, “I don’t think I got this role because they want to see me fail miserably at it. I got it because they think I can do it. Okay, I’m ready. ‘What number’s up first? “Shake a Tail Feather.'”

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Apart from remaining on call for 17 hours a day and giving everything she had when the cameras rolled, Bassett was intimidated by Turner’s presence on the set. Bassett felt a tremendous weight to honor Turner’s story and represent her accurately onscreen, telling Interview:

“I was nervous because it’s, like, she’s Tina Turner. Here is Tina Turner, and I’m playing her. She did my hair and my makeup, and she said, ‘Now go on up there and perform ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It?’ and I’m going to sit here and watch you.’ She was wonderful because she’d say, ‘Okay, Angela, let’s do it this way,’ or you could ask her, ‘What’s that step again?’ and she’d say, ‘Just do the pony like this, and everything else is perfect.'”

Playing a real-life character is always difficult, but playing a real-life character who is still living and watching every performative move as it’s happening adds even more pressure. One thing Bassett didn’t anticipate being difficult was Turner reliving the pain and anguish of her abusive relationship with Ike. The Turners ultimately disavowed the acclaimed ’90s biopic for its inaccuracies, but it was important for Bassett to remain as honest as possible while making the movie.

“It wasn’t easy for her [Turner] to be there for the early years of Ike and Tina. Those were painful years—why sit and watch it being portrayed? What’s important to me was how truthful it was to her, not ‘is Touchstone happy?”, or the director, or the producers, or the Ikettes. I was portraying Tina, and I just felt a responsibility to her. I wanted her to be pleased.”

Pressure can burst pipes or create diamonds. In Bassett’s case, the pressure she felt portraying Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It produced a dazzling performance that gleams bright over 30 years later. In her first starring role and only leading Oscar nod in her career, Bassett overcame immense challenges while making the movie and delivered a career-best performance.

What’s Love Got to Do With It is available to stream on The Roku Channel & Pluto TV.