Angela Bassett Responds To Anthony Hopkins About His Marvel Experience

Angela Bassett and Anthony Hopkins could function almost as mirror images of each other (At least, as far as their characters within the Marvel Cinematic Universe are concerned). Their roles have a relevance, and occupy a place, quite similar. However, It seems that their personal opinions regarding the MCU experience differ considerably.

On the one hand, we found ramonda (Angela Bassett) mother of T’Challa and Shuri (‘Black Panthers’) and ruler of Wakanda. In the other, we can see odin (Hopkins), father of Thor and Loki, ruler of Asgard (now, sadly deceased). Both leadership figures and mentors (like it or not) to two of humanity’s favorite heroes. But, where does the discrepancy come from?What has led Angela Bassett to differ from her franchise partner?

Some time ago, an image of Hopkins’ ‘Thor’ script surfaced, which had an inscription made by the actor himself which read: “No action required.”

About this, the interpreter spoke with The New Yorker in 2021 and delved into what it was like to work on Marvel movies: “I try to apply that to everything I do: no action required,” Opined Hopkins. “In ‘Thor’, you have Chris Hemsworth (who looks exactly like Thor) and Kenneth Branagh, who is very specific about what he wants. They put armor on me and put a beard on me. ‘Sit on the throne. Shout a little’. If you are in front of a green screen, there is no point in acting.”

In response to this, Bassett also spoke to The New Yorker (a new parallel, intended or not), and focused on describing how different his experience had been on the set of ‘Wakanda Forever’.

“The throne room existed, also the red clay floor, the elevation with the Dora Milaje around it, the great doors through which we passed…” Bassett commented. “You may not see Wakanda, but we had the rest. When Shuri and I went into the jungle, there were hundreds and hundreds of trees, bushes, and water. Namor would come out of the water and fly towards us.“

“We had an entire boat and the attention to detail that went into the interior was magnificent. I think I was luckier than Anthony Hopkins. I’m sorry for him” continued the actress.

“We were in Wakanda, and we know that Wakanda is special. We had Shuri’s lab, the elevator… There was even a fake elephant and its calf. (Yes, obviously that was later edited on the computer, but we had a figure to play with.)”

The virtues of the set of ‘Wakanda Forever’ seem to have favored its interpreters, especially Bassett herself, who is currently nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The actress has already won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Awards for this same project.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is available on streaming on Disney+.