Since the show moved to ABC, you’ve been at the center of two huge emergencies: the capsized cruise ship and the plane landing on a Los Angeles freeway. At this point, is there any part of you that is still surprised whenever Tim calls and pitches you what he has planned for a premiere?
Bassett: Oh my gosh. [I’m] always surprised when he calls, and it’s great having him at the helm of these disasters. Although, I have to say, I did enjoy the plane over the ship.
I don’t blame you!
Bassett: I enjoyed the wind over the rain, I guess. But yeah, it’s been exciting, and it’s also been a great challenge because when he told me, “Oh yeah, Athena’s going to land a plane with a 9-year-old helping her — a 9-year-old gamer [laughs] — it was like, to my mind, “Are we going to buy that? Are we going to be able to believe that? How is that possible?” So it was a real pleasure to see how that was crafted and then to get in there with the tech advisor and really try. I really think I’m somewhat capable in a dire emergency. Tim Minear makes me believe that I can do anything.
Looking back at all eight seasons of the show, do you have a favorite major disaster? Was there one that you felt was particularly difficult for you to execute as an actor?
Bassett: Oh my gosh. Well, for me, absolutely, the plane has been the topper. The ship was a little physically uncomfortable, but it was also an enjoyable experience because we worked with a lot of actors — visiting actors or co-stars. So it was like we were our own little troop after a couple of months of building that cruise ship and destroying it as well. I really enjoyed the camaraderie that we had on that episode.
Athena and Bobby’s relationship has remained a steady cornerstone of the show from the very beginning. How do you think Athena’s partnership with Bobby has shaped her as a person?
Bassett: I think with Bobby and Athena, she definitely has that soft place to land. He provides a great deal of patience and calm, although he has his issues in his past and his experience that he’s dealing with, but they’re very accepting of one another and what they’ve gone through — without judgment or condemnation. And that’s what you look for in the world: someone who sees you and accepts you and allows you to grow at the pace that you need to, but they’re there with a helping hand, should you need or ask for it, and a shoulder to cry on.
You’ve truly never been busier professionally — you’re returning for the next Mission Impossible, you shot Zero Day earlier this year, and you’re producing a massive slate of projects with your husband, Courtney B. Vance. At this stage of your life and career, how do you go about choosing the kinds of stories you want to tell as an actor and a producer, and what continues to excite you creatively about returning to play Athena year after year?
Bassett: Well, I’m still excited about Athena and playing her because of the family that we have built, the stories that we tell, the way in which we connect with the community, with the public, with our fans. They see themselves in these people, and they see themselves as a part of our family, so I love that. I think that’s just a very special thing, an incredible thing that we’ve been able to accomplish in the television landscape of things. Courtney and I look at projects that speak to us individually and collectively, and, ultimately, that just touch us in our guts. So we love history, we love biographies, comedy, drama, the whole slate.
This is officially the longest you’ve ever played a single character. Eight seasons and over 110 episodes later, do you still have any unanswered questions about Athena? Is there something in particular about her life, her past, or her family that you’re still hoping to explore in the near future?
Bassett: I’ll really just leave that up to the writers and to Tim. It’s interesting how a lot of it sometimes mirrors my own life in terms of, for example, the empty nest with my kids going off to college this year, and how husband and wife reconnect when [their kids’] voices, their energy and their vibe is not there. So it’s been very interesting. Also, the whole idea of getting older and slowing down — I know last week I was dealing on set with my neck and the chiropractor. I was sleeping wrong on a plane and winding up with a crook in my neck that was debilitating for almost two weeks, but yet… the show must go on. So you do what you have to [in order to push through]. You take that Tylenol and you limp through. You land planes, you crusade, you serve and you protect, and you do those things that must go on and you do them without complaint. So I look forward to the next adventure with Athena, always.
