Angela Bassett Wants Keke Palmer to Play Her in a Biopic: ‘She Is the Best’

Their bond began on Akeelah and the Bee when Palmer was 11—and two decades later, Bassett still sees something special in her former on-screen daughter.

ByBernadette Giacomazzo
September 14, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Angela Bassett named Keke Palmer as her pick to play her in a biopic, praising her spirit and declaring, “She is the best.”
• Bassett agreed that she and Palmer share similar cheekbones and eyes, joking that Palmer has “way more energy.”
• Their bond began when Bassett played Palmer’s mother in 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee, continued with Black Nativity, and came full circle when Palmer honored Bassett at the 2026 American Black Film Festival Honors.

Angela Bassett sees the resemblance between herself and Keke Palmer. More importantly, she apparently sees the casting potential.

During a January appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show that re-aired last week, Bassett was asked the inevitable question that comes after four decades of memorable roles: If somebody made a movie about her life, who should play her?

Bassett initially wasn’t interested in entertaining the idea. “Oh, no. No,” she said.

Then she came up with a name: “I mean, Keke.”

That would be the one and only Keke Palmer, who has been linked to Bassett on-screen and off for more than 20 years. And when Hudson asked Bassett about something fans have been saying for ages—that the two actresses actually resemble each other—Bassett didn’t fight that one.

“I think a little bit. Yeah, I think we do,” she said. “Cheekbones, eyes, but she got way more energy than I do.”

Then came the endorsement.

“And I love it. I love it,” Bassett continued. “She’s got spirit. She is the best.”

Palmer isn’t simply another younger actress Bassett admires. Their history stretches back to Akeelah and the Bee, the 2006 film that gave an 11-year-old Palmer her breakthrough starring role, where Bassett played her mother.

Palmer has since talked about what she learned from Bassett on that set. During a 2022 reunion, she remembered struggling to cry while filming an emotional scene as production raced against child-labor time restrictions. Bassett quietly helped Palmer connect the scene to something personal involving her own mother.

It worked.

Bassett remembered Palmer’s ability to lock into the moment even at that age.

“You were so present, even at 11,” she told her.

Their bond has continued well beyond Akeelah and the Bee. Earlier this year, Palmer presented Bassett with the Excellence in the Arts Award at the 2026 American Black Film Festival Honors, where Bassett was celebrated for a career spanning four decades.

During her acceptance speech, Bassett described excellence as “endurance, commitment, the decision to keep showing up.”