Angela Bassett held Austin Butler’s hand while reading his Oscar for Best Actor

Angela Bassett took Lady Gaga’s ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ lyrics literally and held her co-star Austin Butler’s hand.

In a poignant moment at the 2023 Oscars, Best Supporting Actress nominee for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Bassett held “Elvis” star Butler’s hand as her category was read. Earlier in the evening, Bassett lost to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Butler, who played the King of Rock ‘n Roll with Method, was beaten by Brendan Fraser in ‘The Whale’.

Bassett became a viral sensation for her moment with Butler, along with a special shout-out from hosts “Creed III” star Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors during the evening.

“Hey aunty!” Jordan said on stage, referring to “Black Panther” character Erik Killmonger, who said the same thing to Bassett’s queen Ramonda in the first MCU film.

The majors added to Bassett, “We love you.” Majors starred in Lovecraft Country alongside Bassett’s husband, Courtney B. Vance. Both Bassett and Majors are alumni of the Yale School of Drama.

Bassett’s Oscar nomination for Wakanda Forever was her second since playing Tina Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It. She has also been honored at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and NAACP Image Awards for her portrayal of Queen. Ramonda in Wakanda Forever. Bassett was also singled out by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose during a viral BAFTA rap.

“I was so proud. That’s why they’re so proud of us, as people, the way they approached it and executed it,” Bassett told IndieWire exclusively about “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” coming out in November 2022 without co-star Chadwick Boseman. “Even in grief, there is so much hope. Hope remains. And hope is the expectation of something good. This is the mission of hope that something good will happen in the end. You just have to get through it.”

Bassett continued, “I just felt a responsibility. I remember the first day, the first scene, when I had to sit (on the throne), I was like, “How am I supposed to sit here? What is the best posture to convey who he is? How do I drive? I always think about trying to do something memorable.”

Angela Bassett holds Austin Butler’s hand while she’s nervous… she’s exactly the kind of woman I imagined her to be 💕. pic.twitter.com/IPnYniCCux

– Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) March 13, 2023

Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors praise Angela Bassett for her supporting role #Oscar loss: “Hi, Auntie. We love you.” pic.twitter.com/5YwcBzWM1Q

— Variety (@Variety) March 13, 2023

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