Angela Bassett has been widely praised for comforting Austin Butler after he missed out on his chance to win a Best Actor Oscar.
On Sunday night, Austin Butler, who portrayed the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Elvis, competed for the Best Actor Oscar against Brendan Fraser of The Whale, Colin Farrell of The Banshees of Inisherin, Paul Mescal of Aftersun, and Bill Nighy of Living.
After the names of the nominees were read out loud, Fraser was pronounced the winner of the Best Actor category thanks to his convincing portrayal of Charlie, an obese English teacher who is trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, in the 2022 drama movie The Whale.
Throughout the nerve-racking moment, Angela Bassett, who was sitting to the right of Butler, was seen clutching his hand and sharing words of comfort while the young actor nervously waited for the announcement.
“Angela Bassett holding Austin Butler’s hand while he’s nervous… is exactly the kind of woman I imagined she was,” one viewer said after the clip showing Angela’s supportive actions went viral.
“It’s been a long road for her, too. And she sat there on the front row, was gracious, held Austin Butler’s hand while his category was up, and held herself like the regal queen she is,” another wrote.
A third fan gushed: “Aww the way she squeezed his hand in encouragement at the end…”
The praise comes shortly after The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star came under fire over footage showing her looking disappointed and refusing to clap when the Best Supporting Actress Oscar went to Jamie Lee Curtis instead of her.
“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,” one disappointed fan wrote in response to the viral clip.
“All you saying Angela Bassett should’ve won over Jamie Lee… her reaction was poor sportsmanship,” another added.
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