Last weekend, Ariana DeBose thought she was doing something nice. The Oscar-winning actress and singer performed the opening song at this year’s BAFTA awards, the U.K.’s answer to the Oscars. Alas, a portion of her performance in which she raps about all the nominated actresses went viral in an unintended way, with people dragging such lines as “Angela Bassett did the thing.” Initially it seemed DeBose wasn’t taking the attention well, even deactivating her Twitter account. But in a recent Instagram post, it seems she’s cool with all the jokes.
On Thursday during a performance in Amsterdam, Lizzo paid cheeky homage to DeBose’s performance, slipping in the line “Angela Bassett did the thing” into one of her songs. The moment went viral, and it did not escape DeBose’s attention. She reposted video of Lizzo’s bit, with some good-natured words. “The internet is wild y’all!” DeBose wrote. “Appreciate all the love.”
DeBose’s star has ascended ever since she appeared in Steven Spielberg’s film version of West Side Story, in which she played Anita. Her turn nabbed her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, just as Rita Moreno won for the same role some 60 years prior.
Speaking of Oscars, Bassett is nominated for the same award but for Black Panther: Wakanda. She won a Golden Globe for her performance last month.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)