Angela Bassett feels it is a "huge" deal to be up for her first Oscar

The 65-year-old actress - who earned the nod for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in the MCU blockbuster 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' - was recognised at the 1994 Academy Awards for her leading role in the Tina Turner biopic 'What's Love Got to Do with It' but is now "grateful" to be in the running for one of the biggest awards in showbusiness. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said: "It's huge, you know. It's my first nomination in 29 years, since 1994. That's a long time ago, but it's been a blessed time. You know, just to be able to live this life and do what you love to do and be rewarded, that's not the end all be all, but it is. It's the icing on the cake and it's the thing that keeps you going. So, I'm grateful." The former 'American Horror Story' star went on to explain that there were times when she felt as if her "efforts were in vain" but after three decades in showbusiness is excited to be part of the awards circuit. She added: "The opportunities [I wanted] were few and far between. "You know, the careers of my peers, who I would go up against in audition rooms - if you were to read out their names, you'd go, 'Oh, oh, oh!' And there were moments, even in recent years, when I thought that my efforts were in vain. "You just keep pushing and you keep moving forward because you have to. You have no other choice. And maybe there's someone out there who sees you and recognises you and is inspired by you. Maybe a filmmaker who is touched by your work and thinks, 'Oh, I'd love to work with her.'"