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‘My heart is racing’: Angela Bassett always up for a challenge

Updated May 16, 2025 - 1:47 pm

“Hey everybody, you good?”

That’s how Angela Bassett begins most of her well-read Instagram posts. If you flip it and ask one of the most inspirational women in Hollywood that same question, well, get ready.

“I’m very good because I’m wearing red. Red is my jam. You know, red makes you feel a certain way. You feel the heat, the fun, the joy,” Bassett says during an interview about her new summer film, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” the eighth installment in the hit film series.

At age 66, Bassett is not slowing down one bit. Besides playing U.S. President Erika Sloane in the Tom Cruise epic, out next weekend, she stars on the hit series “9-1-1,” which just wrapped up one of its most successful seasons on ABC.

How does she do it all and also find time for her family — husband and fellow actor Courtney B. Vance and their 19-year-old twins, Bronwyn and Slater?

“I try to eat healthy. I move. But the real key is to truly try to get eight hours’ sleep each night,” she says. “The other night, I didn’t … and I felt it all the next day. Do not deny yourself, if possible. Sleep is where it’s at for you and for me!”

Bassett shares other good life tips:

In control

Once again, the fate of the world is in Bassett’s hands in “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” in which artificial intelligence has gone crazy. Bassett has a way of putting people at ease. “Thank you,” she says, laughing. “I’m so glad people feel that way. That was part of my role to make you feel like it’s all going to be OK. We’ll just keep our wits and get through this together.” As the moral core of the film, she adds, “I love a little heart with my action. … I always try to remain optimistic. I’m a hopeful person who always says, ‘Let’s do this.’ ”

Get pumped

Several years ago, Bassett got the call to join the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Her response? “Who is this? You mean, the movies with Tom Cruise?” she jokes. “I got involved on the sixth mission, which was thrilling. The key here is you have to remain excited with what life offers you. I love to challenge myself to try new things. I love that feeling when my heart is racing.”

Forget the numbers

Bassett has maintained a healthy relationship with aging. “Just when you think you’ve seen every trick in the book, something comes along and surprises you, which is a beautiful part of aging,” she observes. “Listen, aging happens to the best of us. Embrace it. Honestly, I try not to think about the numbers anymore. Who cares? The only numbers I remember is my birthday, my kids’ birthday, my husband’s birthday. … Aging is going to happen. Enjoy your life. Enjoy your folk, your friends, your family.”

Find your fuel

Bassett is a powerhouse in Hollywood who says her fuel is passion. She will take you all the way back to her younger days when she was deciding what to do with her life. “I’m a Florida girl, but I was at Yale and it was starting to snow,” she recalls. “I stood there watching the snowflakes float to the ground and weighed whether I should devote my life to acting or molecular biophysics and biochemistry. I thought, ‘Well, both are difficult, so pursue the one you’re passionate about.’ Passion is your fuel in life.”

You have to try

Bassett applied to the Yale School of Drama knowing that the chances of being admitted are slim. “It was such an almost impossibility for someone who looked like me and who was from where I was from, but you have to try in life,” she says. “The alternative is living with the what-ifs.”

Keep it moving

Bassett isn’t someone to sit still. She prioritizes health by mixing up her routine, but is always moving. “I have stuff at my house,” she says. “I have a bike, sneakers, two feet and two legs.” The specifics include consuming plenty of healthy greens, dumping processed foods and eating “the other things” in moderation.

Life changes

Now that Bassett and Vance’s twins are older, how is she coping? “They’re 19 now. It’s good. Life changes. They are maturing and taking flight,” she says. “What makes me happy is they’re excited about their lives and the places they get to go and see. My kids are having adventures and having a good time. I’m thrilled.”

Ask questions

Bassett spent time with real LAPD officers to research her “9-1-1” role. “You question what you don’t know and find the answers,” she says. “Many of us are too shy to ask the questions. What do you have to lose?”

Share the good

Why does she begin her Instagram posts with “Hey everybody, you good?” Bassett says she hopes to inspire. “I appreciate being in a position where others can look to you and get a good word,” she says. “Anyone can look for and find the good in life — and then go out there and share that good with others.”

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