Before Black Panther and Oscar buzz, there was Strange Days — and for Angela Bassett, it was exactly that. As Kathryn Bigelow’s cult cyberpunk thriller turns 30, the actress opens up about the chaos, adrenaline, and sheer physical demand of portraying the unforgettable Lornette "Mace" Mason — bodyguard, single mother, and moral compass in a collapsing world.
"Oh, absolutely," Bassett told Collider when asked if the film still holds a place in her heart.
"It was directed by the incredible Kathryn Bigelow — those set pieces in downtown L.A.! And I’ll never forget the night our stunt guy fell from the top of the Bonaventure Hotel. One take — thankfully. That was pretty amazing."
Set in the crumbling edge-of-the-millennium Los Angeles, Strange Days imagined a society on the brink, where black-market memory recordings offer escape — and danger. Behind the camera, the atmosphere wasn’t much less intense.
"There were 5,000 extras, shooting all night for months. Oh my gosh" she recalled. "I was like, ‘Kathryn, how are you getting through it?’ That’s when I discovered B12… B12 and black coffee!".
Though the film underperformed on release, its raw power and prophetic themes have aged like a secret prophecy. And Bassett — as fierce, grounded, and iconic as ever — remains its beating heart.
