Angela Bassett is opening up about a very devastating incident that happened during her childhood.
It is incredibly sad whenever an innocent child is taken advantage of. Too many people carry the shame of what an adult did to them when they could not fight back. For some, the only silver lining has been having parents who believe in and protect them at the first notice of something wrong. Angela Bassett recalls how her mother came to her aid after a man tried to take advantage of her as a child.
Angela Bassett spoke at the Ahead of the Rape Foundation Annual Brunch in 2019. While there, Bassett discussed the devastating moment from her childhood when a man her mother was dating tried to take advantage of her in her sleep. Bassett said she was awakened by the man “fondling” her while he thought she was unaware.
Bassett was 12 or 13 at the time. She goes on to say that it was not “complete assault,” but it was still scary enough. She credits her mother with being so hyper-aware. The following day she noticed something was off and got the man out of their home. Bassett says she was so thankful that her mother heard her, believed her, and did something about it. “I think was so empowering for me as a young teen, as a young woman.”
Angela says that her experience also empowered her to teach her children early about boundaries. Bassett says that she also knew friends who had been taken advantage of at young ages and understood the importance of really showing her kids what it means to demand respect and be able to come to her no matter what.
Bassett has depicted characters over the years who have suffered from sexual assault. Her powerful portrayal of Tina Turner earned her an Oscar nomination and exposed the ugly truth about the abuse Turner suffered at the hand of Ike Turner. To make matters worst, Bassett recalls them doing the scenes over and over again.
She recalls director Brian Gibson saying, “‘OK, let’s do it again.’ I was like, ‘Can an actor have a moment? Just 60 seconds, a minute, please, just to catch our breath.'”
