Angela Bassett has at last opened up about her snub at the 2023 Oscars, and her 'shady' reaction to losing to Jamie Lee Curtis.
Curtis came out on top as she won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, beating some fierce competition such as Hong Chau (The Whale), co-star Stephanie Hsu, Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), and Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).
When Curtis' name was read out, her fellow nominees and the entire theatre, stood up to applaud Curtis for the gong.
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But Bassett, 64, remained seated on the front row without clapping, and struggled to hide her displeasure at the result.
In footage from the ceremony, Bassett cuts a very unhappy figure, without so much as a smile for winner, Curtis.
Bassett has finally written about the moment in her feature for the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2023 series, by empathising with Austin Butler saying, she 'understood intimately' how he felt, as they both failed to win Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony.
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A touching moment of the two holding hands on the evening went viral.
Bassett wrote in the piece: “On the evening of the Oscars, with Austin seated next to me, I understood intimately what he felt when it was time to learn if he would climb those stairs to the stage.
“So, I took his hand and held it softly as the winner was announced. Although his name wasn’t called, Austin is no less a winner.”
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She wrote further about the moment: “The time had come for Austin to say goodbye to Elvis as he began to embrace an infinite universe of possibilities as an actor. I can’t wait to see what he brings us next.”
Earlier on the evening of the Oscars, Bassett, who was first nominated for an Oscar in 1994 for What’s Love Got to Do With It, told Entertainment Tonight that she was 'feeling pretty good'.
Bassett, who wore a purple Moschino gown, was joined by her husband, Courtney B. Vance and their 17-year-old twins, Bronwyn and Slater.
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Her son Slater said: “I just I think it’s long overdue and I really want to see her be honoured the way that I know she should be,” Slater said.
“And so this will mean a lot to me, and I know it’ll mean even more to her, so, I’m waiting and I’m ready for it.”
The later awkward moment didn't go unnoticed by those watching on at home.
Taking to Twitter, one user said: “Angela Bassett’s reaction hurts me."
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"Angela Bassett not standing up for Jamie Lee Curtis is kinda shady. I get you’re upset for not winning but damn," commented another.
"Angela Bassett’s reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis’ name being called… you can tell how much that Oscar would have meant to her," a third empathised.
Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film
Amelia Jones