We haven’t stopped smiling since watching Da’Vine Joy Randolph accept her well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards. But it’s not lost on us that it was just one year ago that the Internet came for Angela Bassett for her reaction to losing in the same category – something she’s talking about with Oprah Winfrey.
Bassett recently sat down with Winfrey for the March 5 episode of Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Spotlight to talk about her experience at last year’s show and the online chatter surrounding her reaction.
Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her powerful portrayal of Queen Ramonda in Marvel’s highly-anticipated Black Panther sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” But fans let out a collective sigh when the award was given to Jamie Lee Curtis for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” instead. Even Oprah admitted she was shocked at the time.
“I just knew your name was going to be called. And then when they didn’t, I was beside myself,” she said.
However, some criticized Bassett for looking less than thrilled for Curtis’ win – not smiling or clapping along with the other nominees as the camera captured her reaction.
Although she admits she was “gobsmacked” when she didn’t hear her name called, Bassett believes she handled the situation with grace. She added that it was important she set a good example for her now 18-year-old twins Bronwyn and Slater, who were with her at the event.
“It was, of course, a supreme disappointment. And disappointment is human. So I thought, yes, I was disappointed. And I handled it like a human being,” Bassett said.
For what it’s worth, Bassett had plenty of reasons to be disappointed that night. It was the second time she was snubbed for an Oscar-worthy performance after she was overlooked for her stunning portrayal of Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” in 1993. And she likely hoped to share her 2023 win with her late co-star Chadwick Boseman. So it’s understandable that even an actress as talented as Bassett would have a hard time faking the funk. Her reaction was honest, understandable and yes, human.
“There are going to be these moments of disappointment that you’ll experience, but how do you handle yourself in the midst of them?” she said. “We’re going to smile, we’re going to be gracious, we’re going to be kind, we’re going to party anyway.”