Angela Bassett Felt ‘Supreme Disappointment’ After Losing Oscar To Jamie Lee Curtis: ‘I Was Gobsmacked’
Angela Bassett has opened up about what she felt after losing at the Oscars ceremony in 2023.
In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Bassett told the talk show host how she handled the disappointment of losing the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award to Jamie Lee Curtis at the 95th Academy Awards.
At the time, she was nominated in the category for her role in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" but did not take home the trophy. Other nominees who lost to Curtis were "The Banshees of Inisherin's" Kerry Condon, "Everything Everywhere All at Once's" Stephanie Hsu and "The Whale's" Hong Chau.
"I was gobsmacked! I was. I thought I handled it very well, and that was my intention: to handle it very well," Bassett said, recalling her reaction to the winner's announcement.
"It was, of course, a supreme disappointment, and disappointment is human, so yes, I was disappointed, and I handled it like a human being," the actress added.
In April 2023, the "9-1-1" star also opened up about her Oscars loss. In a write-up about Austin Butler for Time, she wrote about the moment they shared at the awards ceremony.
"On the evening of the Oscars, with Austin seated next to me, I understood intimately what he felt when it was time to learn if he would climb those stairs to the stage. So, I took his hand and held it softly as the winner was announced," she wrote.
Angela Bassett holding Austin Butler’s hand while he’s nervous…is exactly the kind of woman I imagined she was 💕. pic.twitter.com/IPnYniCCux
— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) March 13, 2023
"Although his name wasn't called, Austin is no less a winner. The time has 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," she continued.
Like her, Butler was nominated but was not declared the winner. The "Elvis" actor was bested by "The Whale" star Brendan Fraser.
Meanwhile, Bassett's husband, Courtney B. Vance, revealed in a recent exclusive interview with People that they went to Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Oscars after-party after her loss.
"It hurt her feelings when she didn't win the Oscar this last go-round, but we decided to party like it was 1999 that night, and they weren't going to run us home," Vance told the magazine.
He continued, "So we ended up at Beyoncé and Jay-Z's party, and life goes on. They gave her an honorary Oscar, which is wonderful. So we keep it pushing."
After nearly 40 years in the acting industry and two Oscar nominations, Bassett was honored at the 14th annual Governors Awards and given an honorary Academy Award.
