Angela Bassett on Why She Initially Turned Down Narration for Nat Geo's 'Queens'

In National Geographic Queensan all-female production team — “one of the big attractions and highlights” of the project, says narrator Angela Bassett DAY — examines the behavior of animal matriarchies from Costa Rica to the Congo. Bassett, who received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Storytelling for her work on the seven-part documentary that she also executive produced, chats about how she approaches storytelling roles and why she’s glad she ultimately said yes to the “emotionally inspiring” docuseries.

You initially rejected this project. What made you change your mind?

The initial no — it was summer. It was break [for 9-1-1]. It had been a long season. I was looking forward to going on vacation and spending time with my family and taking some time off work because it’s a constant rollercoaster. But they came back and sent me the sizzle reel and I said, “OK, let me just focus on this for a moment and see what exactly this project is.” Once I did that, I never let it slip away.

How do you approach storytelling in relation to your roles in front of the camera?

I just see it as storytelling. You have to paint pictures with your voice. There's drama in that, and I try to find it and ride that wave, with the help of the director and what he has in mind, because I can be a little dramatic. (Laughs.) I might think it requires more drama and they just want that subtle undertone. But this time they embraced the drama of the moment that was
captured. Sometimes the voice can take over, so [you have to remember the story]support it, guide it. The whole project was different from start to finish. It was a fresh perspective, and it was a testimony to new voices and energies; it was very inspiring.

This story originally appeared in an August standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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