Funny story that Angela Bassett told Arsenio Hall during the premiere of his show. The actress was sharing her experience during the March on Washington celebration with the television personality when she began to talk about her son, Slater, and how he greeted the President of the United States.
“You know I’m talking to them before they get there,” said Angela. “Hopefully so they can be cool in the White House. Just try[ing] to put a little bit in, little bit in, each day because I don’t want them to misbehave. And [during the March on Washington celebration] everyone applauds when our president steps up to the podium, to the microphone, and we’re on the side. [And] my son just says, ‘Barack Obama! Barack Obama!’ And I’m behind him and I was like, ‘Where is the button that opens the floor so I can just fall through?'”
To Slater’s advantage, though, the country’s First Lady was one of the few attendees who witnessed his reaction to the Chief of Staff and was sure that he was rewarded for his passion. As Angela explained, “First Lady, before [the president] speaks, she taps him and says, ‘The young man, the young man.’ So the president looks at Slater and Bronwyn and he says, ‘Hello young man. How are you doing?’ And of course Slater remembers it differently [as more like the president saying], ‘Hey dude. What’s up?'”
All in all, “It was a great experience and a teachable moment.” Angela Bassett has two children, Slater and Bronwyn, with husband Courtney B. Vance.
