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Angela Bassett really worked out—which, of course, she did with Ariana DeBose after the Oscar winner’s viral rap performance at last Sunday’s BAFTA Film Awards.
The musical number, which saw the Oscar-winner shout out several female BAFTA nominees, has been referenced in live performances this week by the likes of Lizzo and Adele and on social media by the likes of Halle Berry. DeBose’s playful references to the actors in the room — “Ana, girl, you were great in ‘Blonde’,” among others — have apparently delighted the subjects of her jokes.
Speaking to Variety on the red carpet of the NAACP Image Awards — where she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for “Wakanda Forever” and Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for “9-1-1” — Bassett revealed Did that he has absolutely no problem with yelling. In fact, he later contacted DeBose to express his support after it went viral.
“I DMed her last night. I did. It was beautiful,” Bassett said. “I just wanted to make sure she’s okay because, you know, it’s going to get a lot of attention. And she’s A-OK.”
Bassett is far from the only fan of DeBose’s rapping. After the BAFTAs, the show’s producer Nick Bullen praised the performance, citing it as an example that award shows could be more modern.
“I absolutely loved it,” he said. “Everyone I’ve talked to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She is a huge star, she was amazing. The songs she was singing were very familiar, the room was clapping, and people were dancing to the music. That rap section in between, mentioning the women in the room, because it’s been a good year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that. And here is a woman of color at the top of her game. And she’s making her BAFTA debut with a song that spoke volumes on so many levels. All of those mentions, I felt, from the moment we were rehearsing it until the broadcast last night, spoke to what we wanted to do.