Cop a gander at Angela Bassett.

The legendary actress is the latest superstar to cover InStyle Magazine. Cloaked in several chic looks, she is photographed by Anthony Maule.

In the spread, she gives a compelling interview, where she reflects on working with the late Whitney Houston, her legacy, and much more.

Peep more pics and quotes from her interview below…

On working with Whitney Houston:

“She was delightful and beautiful, always dancing and singing. She was such a lover girl. Sometimes we are put in these gilded cages and we must present ourselves in a certain way, and then we are held to that standard. She had intense scrutiny and pressure on her, but she was just—you know how LL Cool J would say, an “Around the Way Girl”? [laughs] She was such a beauty and a light. She showed up ready and prepared, honey, every single day, more than the so-called actors. It was impressive.”

On her legacy:

“It’s so much more than I ever dreamed of. I mean, theater is my first love. I love the stage. [My husband] Courtney [B. Vance] and I did one of playwright John Guare’s plays years ago [His Girl Friday], and Guare said, “Angela, you’re a theater animal. You command the stage and the audience.” It was the highest compliment.”

On being a Black woman in Hollywood:

“Thirty and 40 years ago when I started out, Black characters were weighted too heavily in the negative. I was always mindful of those images. What are you saying about me and who I represent as a woman of color? There’s complexity to us. There’s beauty to us. There’s strength to us. There’s compassion to us. There are so many wonderful things.”

Bassett currently stars in Fox‘s ‘911,’ which airs Monday’s at 8 p.m. ET.

Your thoughts?

[Photo Credit: InStyle / Anthony Maule]