Entertainment

Q&A: Angela Bassett Talks Playing Boss in ‘Rainbow Six’ Game

Published

11 years ago

June 16, 2015

This undated photo provided by Ubisoft shows actress Angela Bassett during a motion capture session for her character, in the video game, Rainbow Six: Siege. The actress and filmmaker is taking on the mantle of “Six,” the codename for the leader of the elite counter-terrorism group depicted in “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.” (Colin Young-Wolff/Ubisoft via AP)

DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angela Bassett is taking on the mantle of “Six,” the codename for the leader of the elite counter-terrorism group depicted in the video game series “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.”

Bassett was unveiled Monday during a Ubisoft news conference at E3 as the latest “Six” in the upcoming “Rainbow Six: Siege” installment of the publisher’s long-running shooter series. The character has always been portrayed as male in past “Rainbow Six” games, as well as in Clancy’s original novel.

“We’ve known for quite some time we’ve been looking to cast a female actress for ‘Six’ this time around,” said “Rainbow Six” animation director Scott Mitchell. “Angela Bassett was one of our top choices from the beginning. We were looking for someone who could deliver a strong, commanding performance.”

In the game, players will portray one of several international operators under the command of Bassett’s character, akin to “M” in the James Bond franchise. It’s a formidable position that’s not entirely foreign to the veteran actress. On film, Bassett has played the head of the Secret Service in “Olympus Has Fallen,” a CIA chief in “This Means War” and an ambassador in “Survivor.”

However, the technical requirements for capturing Bassett’s virtual performance for “Rainbow Six: Siege,” were all new to the “American Horror Story” star. She donned a motion-capture suit and performed within a high-tech sphere comprising hundreds of cameras focused on her facial experiences.

“It was a layering technique, which is very different from film, but it was very, very interesting,” Bassett said.

Ahead of her E3 debut, Bassett spoke with The Associated Press about her part in the game, which is set for release Oct. 13:

AP: Why were you interested in this role?

Bassett: I don’t have much experience with video games, especially not at this high level. Whenever I get an opportunity to go in another direction, I do. I’m very aware of media and women in the media and the way we come across. I thought this would be a very strong look, as a woman and as a black woman. For myself, it’s a way to keep current. I just wanted to have an opportunity to be part of something like that.

AP: Were you aware of the many criticisms how women and African-Americans are portrayed in games?

Bassett: I wasn’t at first. I have a cousin who is very much into this world. He told me this would be a big, big, big deal. I said, “Really?” There have been opportunities in film where the part was a male, and they’ve changed it for me, and I’ve been able to bring it to life. I’ve always liked that. This was another opportunity to do that. To hear that in this world, women are not usually in this role, that was very exciting news to me.

AP: How did you interpret the role of the deputy director of Team Rainbow?

Bassett: I’ve often played that sort of character — the boss, the head, the one in charge. I’ve done it in various movies. In that respect, it was familiar to me, but the world of games, how they put it all together, that was a totally different and exciting to me. I was like a kid on the first day of school. I had lots of questions.

AP: What did you think when you saw your character? The resemblance is uncanny.

Bassett: I was amazed. It looks dead on. I knew exactly each step I went through, so it’s interesting to see that’s what they came up with. I hope movies don’t go this way. I like interacting with people.

AP: What’s your personal experience with games? You said you aren’t that familiar, but did you at least play “Pac-Man” back in the day?

Bassett: I did! I did play “Pac-Man,” which I guess is like Tic-Tac-Toe compared to “Rainbow Six.”

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

___

Online:

http://rainbow6.ubi.com

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OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

Published

6 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.