Fil-Am actress shares ‘dream come true’ experience working with Angela Bassett
After landing a role in the hit US medical drama series “Doctor Odyssey,” Filipino-American actress Frankie McNellis is celebrating her appearance in the latest season of ABC’s drama “9-1-1,” where she performed a special role opposite series lead Angela Bassett.
McNellis portrayed Lisa in Season 9’s Episode 6, where she is interrogated by Bassett’s character, Athena, who is investigating a teenage girl who attempted suicide due to cyberbullying as she tries to figure out the identity of the bully.
In a recent press statement sent to Inquirer Entertainment, the young Filipina said that working closely with Bassett exceeded every expectation.
“For me, working alongside the iconic Angela Bassett was a dream come true. Let’s say I had the chance to see her acting prowess. I’m still over the moon,” said McNellis. “I was nervous at first, but I was able to overcome it because she didn’t make us feel like outsiders.”
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McNellis added that the Oscar-nominated actress was exactly the kind of colleague she hoped to work with on every project.
“I am very appreciative of this opportunity. What I saw on set was Ms. Bassett in her element, as she always is, but also humble and kind,” she expressed.
The Fil-Am star, who plans to visit the Philippines this December, hopes the role helps her connect more with Filipino audiences.
“I only hope that more Filipinos will take the opportunity to get to know me better. I’m delighted to visit everyone in the Philippines this December. We’ve already planned to visit the country,” she said.
“My Filipina mom needed to tell her friends about it. Additionally, I want to thank the Asian community-especially the Filipino supporters for their support,” she added.
“9-1-1” is a procedural drama that explores the professional and personal lives of Los Angeles first responders including firefighters, police officers, and paramedics. It stars Bassett, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman, and Peter Krause.
Beyond “9-1-1,” Bassett rose to fame for her role as Dr. Betty Shabazz, the wife of civil rights activist Malcolm X, and recently for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (1993), which won her a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Bassett also played Queen Ramonda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films “Black Panther” (2018), “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022). For the latter, she won another Golden Globe and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, aside from acting, McNellis also recently released two new tracks, “Do It Like That” and “Super Glue.” She said each song showcases a different side of her musical style.
“We recorded a few takes, edited together our favorite bits, then began with the chorus. From there, everything came into place… The stripped-down version felt so powerful that we opted to tone down the extra production and let the vocals shine,” she said. /edv
