Angela Bassett is gracing Essence’s November/December cover. Wakanda’s Queen is featured in comic book-style illustrations by artist Darius Moreno on the cover and images accompanying the feature story. In the in-depth interview, Bassett discusses the ups and downs of working in Hollywood and some of her most iconic roles, including her portrayal of Ramonda in Black Panther. Next month, the actress stars in Marvel’s anticipated sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Chadwick Boseman, who famously portrayed the film’s titular character in the original, died of colon cancer in 2020. At the time, it was unknown how his unexpected passing would impact the future of Black Panther. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and writer and director Ryan Coogler decided not to recast Black Panther/T’Challah but rather to incorporate the actor’s death into the upcoming film. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Bassett’s Ramonda must deal with the loss of her son. She tells Essence:

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On a personal level, the actress told the publication that she felt butterflies on the first day of filming and added:

“It’s quite a bit, emotionally, that Ramonda has to deal with. In the midst of all this loss, she has to find that strength to comfort and lead.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Dominique Thorne, Tenoch Huerta, and Martin Freeman. The film hits theaters on Nov. 11.

“There are these two things that we were dealing with: the loss of our leader and trying to meet the expectations of an audience. The mantle is monumental, but it’s not so heavy that we can’t accomplish what we all gathered together to do,” she said.

Angela Bassett on an Iconic Career

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During her conversation with writer Brande Victorian, Bassett, whose career spans over four decades, also discussed her portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to do With it? Brian Gibson’s biopic told the story of the celebrated singer, detailing her rise to stardom and her tumultuous and violent marriage with Ike Turner. Her impactful performance earned Bassett an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress but what occurred following those accolades surprised Bassett:

But the phone did eventually ring, and when Bassett returned to film in 1995, she did so in a big way. That year, the actress appeared in Panther, Strange Days, Vampire in Brooklyn, and Waiting to Exhale. Bassett’s illustrious career also includes films like Notorious, Betty & Corretta, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, among others. On television, she’s appeared on the American Horror Story anthology, earning an Emmy nomination for her role in Coven. Since 2018, she has starred in and produced Fox’s 9-1-1.

“That’s perhaps when I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve made it’—but then the phone didn’t ring for a year and a half after that. But I’ve made it, I thought. Yes, you’ve made it, but now there are other things to consider.”