Angela Bassett Discusses Her Struggles with Bringing Tina Turner to Life

Angela Bassett understood Austin Butler’s battle to leave his Elvis character behind after her experience playing Tina Turner.

Angela Bassett resonated with Austin Butler upon her portrayal as Tina Turner in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It. The actress understood Butler’s struggle to detach himself from the Elvis persona after filming a biopic herself. Bassett confessed that she’s also been struggling to leave behind Tina Turner’s character.

Filming for the Tina Turner biopic took a toll on Angela Bassett. The actress reportedly had to film 20 hours per day, dance wearing heels for long hours, and even sustained a fracture in her hand. But, aside from the already extreme filming conditions she had to experience for the biopic, she’s also trying hard to detach herself from Tina Turner’s persona.

The interviewer brought up Austin Butler, who still has an Elvis accent in his voice even after the filming wrapped. When asked if she also had a similar struggle in detaching herself from her Tina Turner character, the actress said to The New Yorker, “It absolutely did. Tina’s laugh and the way she spoke took over. [She lets out a high, squeaky Tina Turner laugh.]”

She continued, “It took over, not as long as Elvis—maybe about four months after. You so lived and breathed and began to see life through their perspective. You had to. They’re a part of you. I think that’s what’s going on with him. You have to bid it farewell, and it’s hard to let it go, because you’ve enjoyed it, you survived it, you delivered, and you’re proud of that. You got an opportunity and you hit it out of left field. So it takes a moment to get back to regular you. But you’re different after this moment. Now you’re Austin, who did that great performance.”

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The Extreme Filming Conditions Angela Bassett Had to Endure

The actress may have struggled after the filming wrapped, but that’s nothing compared to what she had to endure while filming the biopic. Aside from the incredible pressure she had to face in portraying the iconic musician, bringing Tina Turner to life isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

When asked about the battle she had to go through for the biopic, she said:

“I just remember thinking, You might lose a battle, but we’re trying to win a war. I would come home, put in the CD, and listen to her songs until I fell asleep. I would study each and every detail within a phrase, or half a phrase. [She sings the opening of “A Fool in Love.”] “Ohhhh! There’s something on my mind . . . .” I would just study the “Oh” to get it perfectly right.”

She continued, “I was working out, getting up at 5 a.m. I would eat standing up, just so frazzled on black coffee, plain chicken breasts, white potatoes, and green beans. That’s all that I ate during that time. They would still say, “Tina has a high butt. You have a low butt.” It was, like, “Man, if you knew how hard I work, you would not say anything negative to me about anything!”