Angela Bassett, Austin Butler, Doja Cat, Steve Lacy honored on 2023 Time 100 list

19th Apr 2023 | Source: Yahoo

Angela Bassett arrives for the Time Magazine's Women of the Year Gala on International Women's Day 2023.

Angela Bassett and 99 others did the thing.

The "Black Panther" actress, rapper Doja Cat, actor Austin Butler, singer-songwriter Steve Lacy, comedian Ali Wong and actor Michael B. Jordan are among Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World," according to the publication's list announced Thursday.

The magazine honors 100 individuals each year for its iconic list, accompanied by celebratory blurbs written by big-name contributors paired with honorees. The list also highlights notable authors, comedians, sports stars and other influential figures.

Here are some of the actors and musicians the publication featured – and what fellows stars had to say about them.
Tina Turner says Angela Bassett is 'at the top of her game'

Bassett, 64, made a mark last year with her performance as Queen of Wakanda in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." But Bassett isn't new to this.

The actress has wowed on the big screen for years, notably with her role as Tina Turner in the film "What's Love Got To Do With It?" Time called on Turner, 83, to honor Bassett, with the "Proud Mary" singer writing the actress is "at the top of her game."

Turner recalled feeling "skeptical" when filming began for the 1993 film. "First of all, who are they going to find to sing, dance, and act like me? Then, I looked up, saw Angela, and immediately started to smile," she wrote.

Angela Bassett is long overdue for an Oscar: Her advice? 'Just hang in there, girl.'

Bassett never "mimicked" Turner. Instead, she "reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world," Turner wrote. That's Bassett's gift, "becoming your character with conviction, truth, dignity, and grace, even when it’s painful, and takes everything you have and more."

"You honor all the women you play, just as you honored me," Turner continued. "And you’re still perfect."
Angela Bassett calls Austin Butler's 'Elvis' role 'brilliantly nuanced'

Austin Butler took Hollywood by storm with his take on Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann film, "Elvis."

Fellow co-Time 100 list member Bassett honored the 31-year-old and admired his "brilliantly nuanced" performance as the "King of Rock 'n' Roll."

"A lot goes into an actor's finding their way into an icon, not pretending to be them but offering a perspective on the artist as we perform slices of their story. You walk away from that set forever changed," Bassett wrote. "Your hope is that when people see the film, they don’t see you – they see an artist’s journey through a different lens."

Butler accomplished exactly that, she wrote.

Bassett recalled meeting Butler as they "were both starting to find our grooves in what promised to be a busy awards season." Their friendship blossomed and the Oscar-nominated duo sat together at the 95th Academy Awards – when it was Butler's turn to hear whether he'd won the trophy for best actor, Bassett held his hand.

"Although his name wasn't called, Austin is no less a winner," she wrote. "I can't wait to see what he brings us next."
Chloe Bailey on why Steve Lacy is 'a force to be reckoned with'

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Steve Lacy is "always himself," wrote actress and musician Bailey. That's what she admires most about the "Bad Habit" singer.

"In a world where everything’s so contrived, he just wants to nerd out and be free, and that makes him a force to be reckoned with," Bailey wrote. "From his performances onstage to his clothes to his lyrics, he's open to expressing what's real."

Steve Lacy performs “Bad Habit."

His authenticity and self-expression are why "people gravitate toward him so much," Bailey added.

"He reminds me that you don’t need to have all the bells and whistles to make good music," she wrote. "What you need is yourself, your ideas, and your heart."

Baz Luhrmann dubs Doja Cat a 'new kind of star'

Doja Cat is a "new kind of star," according to Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

"I’ve worked with all kinds of artists, but with a certain few you connect on a deeper level," Luhrmann wrote. "For me, Doja Cat is one of those artists. She’s at the top because she works to bring everything she does to the highest possible level."

The two crossed paths while working on the "Elvis" soundtrack, for which Doja Cat recorded the hit song "Vegas." She and her producer Yeti Beats "understood the importance of translating 'Hound Dog' for a new audience," the director wrote. "For them, it was an act of translating the roots of Black music."

Luhrmann added that Doja Cat, "a true child of the Internet," cannot be "boxed in."

"She's a rapper, a singer, a performance artist – she's the canvas on which she expresses a character or idea," he wrote.

How she's changing the craft: The artists behind Doja Cat's cutting-edge makeup explains

The print issue of the Time 100 issue hits newsstands Friday.