Angel Reese can now boast of having graced the silver screen at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. The WNBA phenomenon made a delightful surprise appearance in Kathryn Bigelow's gripping nuclear disaster thriller, "A House of Dynamite," a Netflix production that debuted to the world within the grand Sala Grande theater on Tuesday evening. Bigelow, accompanied by her stellar ensemble—Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos, Greta Lee, Gabriel Basso, Tracy Letts, and Jared Harris—soaked in the electrifying atmosphere as the film garnered an eleven-minute standing ovation, a testament to its compelling narrative.
Reese, a Vogue cover star and current Chicago Sky player, finds herself in esteemed company, with the cast also featuring Jonah Hauer-King, Moses Ingram, Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O’Grady, Willa Fitzgerald, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kyle Allen, and Kaitlyn Dever. The film, divided into three riveting chapters, sees Reese make her mark in the third and final segment.
In a scene that subtly builds up to her cameo, Elba's character, the President of the United States, receives a briefing in the White House about an upcoming engagement dubbed the "Angel Reese" affair. As the president visits Liberty Arena, Reese awaits on the basketball court amidst a group of young women. Engaging in a friendly hoops session, Elba's character shares his heartfelt insights on how sports have transformed his life. Reese interacts warmly with Elba and the young ladies until the president is abruptly whisked away to address an escalating catastrophe.
Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow's film narrates the tense aftermath of an unattributed missile launched towards the United States, prompting a race against time among political and military leaders to ascertain culpability and devise an appropriate U.S. response before an entire city is obliterated.
Following its world premiere at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, "A House of Dynamite" will hit selected theaters in the U.K. on October 3, launch globally on October 10, and become available on Netflix on October 24.
This isn't the first time Reese has ventured into the creative realm of screen appearances. The Louisiana State University national championship star has previously graced music videos, notably NLE Choppa's "Champions" and Latto featuring Cardi B's "Put it on Da Floor Again." Upon THR's report of her cameo in "A House of Dynamite," Reese retweeted the story with the playful remark, "Welp, the cat is out the bag."
