Atthe Oscars last night, Angela Bassett ‘did the thing’. No, not the ambiguous ‘thing’ that Ariana DeBose rapped about at the BAFTAs. The Oscars ‘thing’ she did was not applaud the winner of a category that she had also been nominated for, thus quickly turning herself into a viral meme.
When Jamie Lee Curtis beat her to the Best Supporting Actress award for her part in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Angela didn't hide her disappointment and she didn't clap, which led to The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star, 64, being rounded upon by news outlets and social media commentators for ‘pulling a sour face’ and being a ‘sore loser.’
‘Bassett is a fantastic actress. A shame she didn’t continue performing tonight and applaud when Jamie Lee won. Everyone wants to win. However most won’t. That’s life. And sore loser is never a good look,’ tweeted one person.
‘Regardless of who you think should’ve won, it was poor on Angela Bassett’s part to just sit there miserably when Jamie won and not be happy for her. Had Angela won, Jamie would’ve been clapping for her. She knew very well her reaction was being played on live television,’ another wrote.
Angela was, clearly, hoping to win Marvel Studios' first ever acting Oscar after taking home the Golden Globe earlier this year. Instead, she committed the biggest awards season 'crime' of all: not graciously smiling and nodding along as her lifelong dream was snatched from her clutches while the world watched on.
But why should she comply and fake her reaction? Aren’t we always being told that authenticity is one of the most admirable qualities? Revealing how she really felt was brave and honest. On this occasion, she clearly thought that she was more deserving of the award, so not performing a sham show of love for someone else is commendable.
Occasionally, actors might be genuinely thrilled for the person who beats them to an award of a lifetime. But more often than not they’re probably screaming with disappointment inside. Angela was just being human and it was refreshing to see.
The awards show also has a history of being criticised for its lack of diversity, with the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag starting in 2015 in response to the 20 acting nominations for the Academy Awards all being white that year. There have been some changes in the Academy's membership and voting procedures since, but many argue it hasn’t gone far enough.
This year, we celebrated Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Asian woman to win best actressin a leading role in for Everything Everywhere All at Once, but no Black woman has ever received a directing nomination, and even this year’s presenter, chat show host Jimmy Kimmel, joked about the awards still being ‘so white and so male.’
So, seeing a white woman beat a woman of colour, when no one is disputing the strength of Angela’s extraordinary performance in Wakanda Forever - which she performed while grieving the death of her co-star Chadwick Boseman - adds another dimension to the Oscar snub.
For all we know, it might not have been about personal success and disappointment for Angela, but about what the award represented. Many would argue people of colour have been undervalued and underpaid by Hollywood for long enough. They shouldn't have to faux applaud when they feel let down by the system again.
Why should Angela Bassett clap if she doesn't agree with something? We should be grateful that, this time, a superstar has been refreshingly honest with us.