The 2023 Oscars ceremony was a memorable night for many reasons, one of which was the heartwarming moment between Angela Bassett and Austin Butler. As the best actor category was announced, Bassett held Butler’s hand in solidarity as he awaited the outcome of his nomination for his role in “Elvis“. Although Butler ultimately lost the Oscar to Brendan Fraser, the image of the two actors went viral on social media.
Bassett herself had experienced the ups and downs of the Oscars earlier in the evening when she lost the best supporting actress award to Jamie Lee Curtis for “Everything Everywhere All at Once“.
However, in a tribute to Butler as part of Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2023, Bassett emphasized the importance of celebrating the journey of an actor, regardless of whether or not they win an Oscar.
“Although his name wasn’t called, Austin is no less a winner,” wrote Bassett. “The time had come for Austin to say goodbye to Elvis as he began to embrace an infinite universe of possibilities as an actor. I can’t wait to see what he brings us next.”
Bassett herself had taken on the challenge of portraying a real-life music icon when she played Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It“.
Similarly to Butler’s performance as Elvis Presley, Bassett earned an Oscar nomination for her role. Although Bassett did not win the award that year, she had a deep appreciation for the hard work and dedication that goes into portraying an iconic figure.
Angela is a great fan of Austin’s work
“I watched ‘Elvis’ with a deep appreciation for all the work I knew Austin put into his performance,” wrote Bassett. “A lot goes into an actor’s finding their way into an icon, not pretending to be them but offering a perspective on the artist as we perform slices of their story. You walk away from that set forever changed.”
As for Butler, he have a starring role in Denis Villeneuve‘s upcoming “Dune: Part 2” alongside Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken.