Angela Bassett experienced some familiar moments while filming Season 9 of 9-1-1.
“In playing this character, a lot of the stories that are coming up, it’s like art imitating life,” Bassett said of returning for another season as Sgt. Athena Grant on the ABC procedural in an interview with People published on Wednesday, August 27. “Sometimes I joke and say, ‘Do you have a camera in my home? You know, are you peering into my life?’ There’s a few similarities here and there.”
In addition to seeing Athena continue to deal with the aftermath of her husband Bobby Nash’s (Peter Krause) death, Season 9 of 9-1-1 will see Athena spend more time with her kids, May and Harry, as actors Corinne Massiah and Elijah M. Cooper have been promoted to series regulars. Bassett is also a mother of two, sharing her 19-year-old twins, Bronwyn and Slater, with her husband, Courtney B. Vance.
While Bassett didn’t divulge specific details about how Athena’s Season 9 journey mirrors her own life, she did share that playing the character has taught her that “there’s power in prevention” when it comes to staying healthy. “It became apparent to me that it’s the key,” she told the outlet.
Bassett also spoke about her Sideline RSV campaign with GSK, through which she’s working to raise awareness for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and highlighting the importance of getting vaccinated.
Disney / Christopher Willard
“It’s something you, as a young person, take for granted,” she stated. “You know, you’re invincible, you do anything. Eat what you like, sleep as little as you like, enjoy it all. And as you mature, you back up off that a little bit.”
Bassett went on to share, “Because I have this platform, it’s important that I can highlight or encourage others to think about these things in a meaningful way. It starts with awareness… so I raise my hand, raise my voice and put myself out there.”
With 9-1-1 Season 9 less than two months away, Bassett recently addressed fan speculation about whether Bobby is truly dead. The Captain of the 118 firehouse met his untimely end in Season 8, Episode 15, after he sacrificed himself to give Chimney (Kenneth Choi) the only antidote to a deadly virus they both were infected with.
“I have to keep his memory alive in some way,” Bassett said in an interview with TODAY.com earlier this month. “I’m making no promises. I’m wondering just like you, just like the fans.”
She also teased Athena’s new dynamic with May and Harry. “They still need mom, but they don’t think they do,” she explained, adding that May will find herself stuck in between her mother and brother, the latter of whom has “growing pains” as he’s “becoming a man.”
“Either she’s on my side or his side. She is his sister, so, help me out girl,” Bassett joked about her onscreen daughter.
9-1-1, Season 9 Premiere, Thursday, October 9, 8/7c, ABC