Black Panther's Angela Bassett says she contacted Ariana DeBose after viral BAFTAs rap
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star and Oscar nominee Angela Bassett has revealed that she reached out to Ariana DeBose following the latter's viral performance at the BAFTAs.
Last week, DeBose, who won an Oscar last year for West Side Story, performed a rap celebrating a number of female nominees at the BAFTA ceremony. One of the lyrics featured Bassett, who was nominated for best supporting actress.
The performance went viral on social media with some mocking DeBose's rap while the production birthed a litter of memes reacting to the moment. Bassett told Variety that she went out of her way to message DeBose following the reaction.
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"I DM’d her last night. I did. It was beautiful. I just wanted to make sure she was okay because, you know, it’s a lot of attention. And she is A-Okay," Bassett said.
The lyric involving Bassett was "Angela Bassett did the thing; Viola Davis my Woman King."
That line in particular was the subject of much attention, prompting DeBose to comment on the reaction in an Instagram post. She wrote: "The internet is wild y’all! Appreciate all the love."
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Meanwhile, BAFTAs producer Nick Bullen defended the performance and called the criticism of it "incredibly unfair."
"Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it," Bullen said.
Bassett did not win at the BAFTAs — it was The Banshees of Inisherin actress Kerry Condon who took home the prize. However, Bassett will be hoping to win the Oscar for playing Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel on March 13.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in cinemas worldwide and premieres on Disney+ on February 1. The first movie is also streaming on Disney+.
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