Angela Bassett on looking youthful at 59: Do they expect me to look broken down?
The Hollywood star has also told of her surprise at appearing in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
Hollywood star Angela Bassett has said being complimented for her youthful appearance at the age of 59 often leaves her not knowing how to react.
The actress has also told of her surprise at appearing in the new Mission: Impossible film, because she had “never seen anyone who looked like me in those films”.
Bassett said she is not sure how to deal with comments about her appearance, telling Net-A-Porter’s PorterEdit digital magazine: “I guess it’s a high-class problem to have.
“But you don’t really know what to say when someone says: ‘Oh, my God, you look so good (for 59)’.”
The American film star, who often appears in articles praising how she looks, added: “What do they expect? For you to be completely broken down?”
Bassett said she is “regimented and rigorous about what I’m eating”, and “diet is 85% of the whole thing for me”.
The actress, best known for her Oscar-nominated role as Tina Turner in biopic What’s Love Got To Do With It, appears alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, but she could not believe it when she got the call for the role.
“I said: ‘What is that?’ I didn’t think it could be the mega-franchise,” she said.
“It was seven in the morning, and I hadn’t had coffee yet.
“But I’ve also never seen anyone who looked like me in those films.”
Bassett said that, while there are more opportunities for black actresses in Hollywood, this does not mean a complete societal change.
“There are more roles (for black women), but if you look at the statistics, there are more platforms, more opportunities, for everyone,” she said.
“So, when you actually dive into the percentages, they’re still the same. There’s always still work to do on this house.”
