Angela Bassett didn’t realize she has played over 100 roles: 'That’s news to me, because I just keep going'

The "9-1-1" actress also heralded the late James Earl Jones as one of her primary inspirations.

Angela Bassett is moving too fast to keep track of her success.

During her Monday visit to The Jennifer Hudson Show, the 9-1-1 actress slowed down long enough to learn that her role count has achieved triple digits.

“You’ve played more than 100 different — I can’t even process this,” host Jennifer Hudson said, while reading the stat from a card. Turning to the studio audience in disbelief, she exclaimed, “A hundred different roles!”

Bassett, 66, was caught off-guard. “That’s news to me,” she admitted. “Because I just keep going. I didn’t know it was over a hundred.”

Related: Angela Bassett and what Oscar snubs had to do with it

Hudson then listed some of Bassett’s biggest roles to date, while the crowd cheered her on: Reva Styles in Boyz n the Hood, Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons, Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It, Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X, Queen Ramonda in Black Panther, and so many more.

Of the Wakanda Forever royal, Hudson commented, “I can’t help but think that they patterned the Queen after you because you are that.”

Bassett replied, “I think they patterned it after our mothers and our ancestors and our aunties. That’s what I pulled from, the women who inspire me.”

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On the subject of inspirations, Bassett listed several names when recalling those who influenced her pursuit of acting. Chief among them was James Earl Jones, who is top of mind for the actress following his Sept. 8 death at 93.

“He is the cause of it all,” Bassett said. “I saw him when I was fifteen at the Kennedy Center in Steinbecks’ Of Mice and Men. The entire theater had just emptied out and I was sitting there just like, a ball of tears like, ‘Oh, this is so wonderful that you can make people feel this bad… but it feels so good.’”

Related: Angela Bassett mourns the death of 9-1-1 crew member: 'We're all rocked by it'

She explained,  “When I went back home to high school I was like, ‘We’re gonna have a drama club and I'm gonna do theater.’”

Bassett added that she thankfully got the chance to tell Jones that he was “the reason,” calling the Hollywood legend “a powerful actor, a beacon, a north star.”

Bassett has become a decorated actress in her own right, with one Emmy Award win, two Golden Globes, and an honorary Academy Award, which she received at the 2024 Governor’s Awards. During the ceremony. Bassett delivered a rousing speech, encouraging other Black performers.

"To my fellow Black actresses, fill your hearts with courage and strength because regardless of what you may see or think or feel, your contributions do matter," she said. "Take comfort knowing that your performances have given hope, offered a different perspective and for others just pure joy in a time of need.”

She added, “I proudly share this honor with women who stand up when they are told to stand back, who speak up when they are silenced, who remain determined when they are told they are defeated."

You can see Bassett’s chat with Hudson in the clip above.

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