People are praising Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actress Angela Basset for comforting Austin Butler as he nervously awaited to hear whether he'd won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The 64-year-old actress had suffered her own loss earlier in the evening after Jamie Lee Curtis, 64, took home the coveted golden statue for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once - for which Basset, also 64, was nominated as well.
A clip of Bassett's reaction to losing the award went viral on Twitter, with fans divided on whether the actress - who simply managed to crack a small smile but did not clap - was either being a sore loser or whether she was more deserving of the accolade.
"Angela Bassett's reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis' name being called…you can tell how much that Oscar would have meant to her. she is, was, and always will be incredible. I better see her on that stage SOON," one person wrote on Twitter.
Another user added: "It took Angela Bassett 30 years as a Black woman in Hollywood to earn her second #Oscar nomination in her career. Yale grad deserved it for portraying Tina Turner. She doesn't have another 30 to wait. Why have Ariana DeBose up there to announce she lost at the #Oscars? SMH."
"Angela Bassett is an amazing actress, but the sore loser vibe… It would be great to see women supporting each other, even in the face of disappointment (esp. during women's history month)," a further comment read.
Anyway.... on to Butler.
The 31-year-old California native was up for an Oscar for his standout portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. Sadly, despite all the hype and continued Elvis-like Memphis accent that has mysteriously endured to the present day, he lost out to Brendan Fraser, 54, who scooped the prize for his leading role as a 600-lb teacher in The Whale.
Shortly before Fraser was announced the winner, the cameras of course panned over to fellow nominee Butler, who was seated next to Bassett. In one moment, the What's Love Got To Do With It actress was seen clutching his hand. Twitter obviously went wild, as fans praised Bassett for seemingly comforting Butler.
"Angela Bassett holding Austin Butler's hand while he’s nervous… is exactly the kind of woman I imagined she was," one person tweeted.
"The way Angela was like 'I got you Austin, it's stressful I know, I got you,'" another person added.
A further comment read: "You can't tell me this isn't the cutest f**king thing you've seen!!! This is Angela Bassett and Austin Butler holding hands while they announce the nominees for Best Actor."
One user commented on the fact that they'd love to see the duo collaborate together on a movie, writing: "And now, I want to see Angela Bassett and Austin Butler in a movie as a private eye and her young associate who work together to solve a murder."
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What an adorable moment!