Angela
Bassett shatters the quaint quietude of a San Fernando
Valley bistro with a triumphant laugh. She's just been
asked to describe her new role as Dr. Catherine Banfield
on the 15th and final season of ER (premieres Thursday,
Sept. 25 at 10 pm/ET, NBC). "I'm the boss!" she all but
bellows. "I'm the queen! I'm the chief of the ER! I come
in, snap my fingers and tell everybody who's used to
doing things in their old familiar ways what to do and
how to do it. I tell 'em, 'It's my way or the highway!'"
Looks
like County General has an attending diva in its halls.
Not
that we'd expect anything less from the first leading TV
role for the powerhouse who earned a Golden Globe, an
NAACP Image Award and an Oscar nomination for her
take-no-prisoners portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993's
What's Love Got to Do With It.
"Angela's got such huge energy, so much passion, force
and strength," raves ER exec producer David Zabel, a man
determined that this warhorse of a series — widely
rumored to be losing cast regulars Maura Tierney, Goran
Visnjic and Mekhi Phifer this season — goes out with as
big a bang as possible. "For years we've said, 'Wouldn't
it be great for Angela Bassett to come in and kick
asses?' And so far, man, she's exceeded my expectations
more than my expectations have ever been exceeded
before."
Expectations have always been high for the just-turned
50-year-old stunner who looks 35 (when asked if she's
still got her famous bulging biceps, she rips off her
running jacket, flexes and says, "Oh, yeah! See?") and
seemed poised for big-time mainstream success after
What's Love. Though Bassett's worked steadily (Akeelah
and the Bee, Waiting to Exhale), the Julia Roberts–level
stardom never quite happened, undoubtedly due to her
discreet nature (she famously turned down Halle Berry's
Oscar-winning Monster's Ball role), her race and her
age. "People expect quality from me, and that's all I
want to give them," the actress explains. "So there are
moments when you want to do more work, but you just
don't think the industry gets it. For them, it's all
about the 'landscape,' or 'young' or your complexion
color."
But
this year has been, she says, "magnificent," with a hit
film (Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns), a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame and three more features in the
can (including the upcoming Nothing But the Truth with
Kate Beckinsale and Matt Dillon). And now she is
shepherding the celebrated ER through its grand finale.
"When
I accepted the offer," says Bassett, who has turned down
numerous series offers except for a multi-episode arc in
2005 on Alias, "I said, 'Now, don't be bringin' me over
to TV land and not use me. Use me, use me, use me!' If
you're a creative person, you always want more and more,
and it's still never enough.
"For
years now, I've loved the idea of change and going from
one character to the next. So what attracted me to ER
was the finite thing: There's not gonna be a 16th year
even if I love doing it — too bad, it's over!"
Which
might make her husband of 10 years, actor Courtney B.
Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), a happy man.
Bassett's intense shooting schedule has cut into her
family time. Fortunately, Vance is a hands-on dad to the
couple's 2-year-old-twins, Bronwyn and Slater. "He can
diaper and do everything you show him," Bassett says,
"but he and I are trying to figure out how to do this
'date night' thing you hear tell about. Really, though,
I'm too tired to be planning date nights — I just wanna
sit on the couch!"
That
couch is in for some serious competition for Bassett's
attention, and not just from her new TV gig.
First
up: the Democratic National Convention. At press time,
Bassett was hoping to attend. "I'm an Obama girl,
absolutely, and I want to go so bad, because it just
makes you feel so proud," she says.
And
then there's Tina Turner, who's coming out of retirement
for a world concert tour. Could Bassett be anywhere
other than in a prime seat in the audience when the
Great Tina comes to Los Angeles in October?
"It's
sold out," she sighs sweetly, putting her steely-diva
rep into serious question. "How can I possibly get
tickets?"
Surely, we tell her, if anyone could score tickets, it's
the woman who immortalized Turner on film. Couldn't she
just ring Turner's people for some VIP treatment?
"I
think you're right!" she shouts, then shudders. "But, I
so hate when I see people who think of themselves as
such big, big stars asking for stuff. I think, 'Oh, get
ahold of yourself!' "
TV Guide.com
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