It’s a moment that has stuck with Angela Bassett.
After losing the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress to Jamie Lee Curtis in 2023—she had been nominated for Black Panther: Wakana Forever while Jamie Lee won for Everything Everywhere All At Once—Angela found herself the subject of viral fame over her facial expression.
Understandably disappointed at the time, the 9-1-1 star is now reflecting on the reception to her reaction.
“I found it interesting,” Angela told Town & Country in an interview published Feb. 20. “Interesting that I wouldn’t be allowed to be disappointed at an outcome where I thought I was deserving.”
On Jamie Lee’s win, “I love applauding people,” the actress clarified. “But in that moment… I have put in the time, put in good work over time. I didn’t think that was a gift. I thought it was a given.”
One year later, Angela broke down her “gobsmacked” reaction.
“It was—of course—a supreme disappointment,” she told Oprah Winfrey in March 2024. “And disappointment is human."
"There are going to be these moments of disappointment that you'll experience, but how do you handle yourself in the midst of them?" the Waiting to Exhale star added. "We're going to smile, we're going to be gracious, we're going to be kind, we're going to party anyway."
Despite her loss, the Academy would go on to present Angela—who was also nominated for 1994’s What’s Love Got To Do With It—with an honorary Academy Award at the 2024 ceremony, paying homage to her four decades in the industry.
In her speech, the 66-year-old recognized the work of her Black peers, such as stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Lupita Nyong’o and Regina King, while noting how Halle Berry has been the only Black woman to be awarded with Best Actress.
“To my fellow Black actresses, fill your hearts with courage and strength, because regardless of what you may think or see or feel your contributions do matter,” Angela said onstage. “Take comfort knowing that your performances have given hope, offered a different perspective and, for others, just pure joy in a time of need. Never allow fear, frustration or disappointment to get in the way of the blessings that are divinely and deservedly yours.”
She noted, “This honor isn't just for or about me. What I hope this moment means is that we are taking the necessary steps toward a future in which it is the norm, not the exception, to see and embrace one another's full humanity, stories, and perspectives. This must be our goal.”