In National Geographic’s Queens, an all-female production team — “one of the big draws and highlights” of the project, narrator Angela Bassett tells THR — examines the behavior of animal matriarchies from Costa Rica to the Congo. Bassett, who received an Emmy nom for outstanding narration for her work on the seven part-documentary for which she’s also an executive producer, chats about how she approaches narration roles and why she’s glad she eventually said yes to the “heart-inspiring” docuseries.
You initially declined this project. What changed your mind?
The initial no — it was summertime. It was hiatus [for 9-1-1]. It had been a long season. I was looking forward to going on vacation, spending time with the family, and downtime from work because it’s a continuous roller coaster. But they came back around and sent me the sizzle reel and I said, “OK, let me put my full attention on this for a moment and see what the project is exactly.” Once I did that, it didn’t pass me by.
How do you approach narration versus your on-camera roles?
I just see it as storytelling. You have to paint pictures with your voice. There’s an inherent drama in it, and I try to find that and ride that wave, with the help of the director and what they have in mind, because I can be a little dramatic. (Laughs.) I might think it calls for more drama and they just want that subtle underlay. But this one, 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, lead it. This whole project was different from beginning to end. It was a fresh perspective, and it was a testament to new voices and energy; it was awe-inspiring.
This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
