Angela Bassett Reflects On Holding Austin Butler’s Hand When He Lost At The Oscars

Angela Bassett recently reflected on the moment she supported fellow Oscar nominee Austin Butler with a sweet gesture at the 2023 award ceremony last month.

On Thursday, Bassett wrote a tribute to Butler, who was featured in Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2023. The “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” actor, who was seen at the ceremony holding Butler’s hand when his category was being announced, said in the Time essay that she “understood intimately” what he was feeling in that moment.

Butler was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Elvis Presley in “Elvis.” He lost the Oscar to Brendan Fraser, who won for his performance in “The Whale.”

“I took his hand and held it softly as the winner was announced,” she said. “Although his name wasn’t called, Austin is no less a winner.”

“The time had come for Austin to say goodbye to Elvis as he began to embrace an infinite universe of possibilities as an actor,” she continued. “I can’t wait to see what he brings us next.”

Elsewhere in her essay for Time, Bassett explained that she had identified with Butler’s experience portraying an iconic figure in a biopic. “You walk away from that set forever changed,” she said.

Indeed, one of Bassett’s most revered roles was her Oscar-nominated performance portraying Tina Turner for the 1993 film, “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Many fans of Bassett were disappointed the actor didn’t win Best Actress at the 1994 Oscars ceremony.

Fans were, once again, dismayed at this year’s show when she lost the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Bassett received a nod for playing Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”