Angela Bassett Really Did ~The Thing~ And Here's 7 Times That Prove It

Ariana DeBose wasn't wrong!

We should all know the iconic Angela Bassett.

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And if you watched the BAFTAs or have been on the internet at all anytime in the last month, you should know about Ariana DeBose's almost equally iconic performance.

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If for some reason this performance hasn't been permanently seared into your memory, Grammy-winner Ariana DeBose performed the opening number at the 2023 BAFTA Awards and went viral for her camp performance.

DeBose's rap name-dropped a bunch of actors in attendance, but there was one line that had everyone in a chokehold

jimberton CIX D-7 @modernjunkiez

I’m sorry this is the best video ever. the way her hands has its own choreo, her aggressive hip sway with her shoulder shimmy, her hair not being symmetrical, viola davis dancing, the lil bodysuit… angela bassett did the THING..

07:23 PM - 21 Feb 2023

Twitter: @modernjunkiez

Honorable mention: Blanchett Cate, you're a genius.

So to commemorate this performance in pop culture history, here are seven times Angela Bassett did ~the thing.~

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1. When she played the perfect Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It?.

Disney

Described as being the most challenging role of her career, Angela Bassett's portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic earned her multiple awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama.

2. When she graduated from Yale with a B.A. in African-American Studies in 1980, then later got a Master of Fine Arts from Yale in 1983.

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Oh yeah, and Angela Bassett also has three honorary doctorates from Yale, Morehouse College, and Old Dominion University. Talk about being the queen of the girl bosses.

3. When she founded Bassett Vance Productions to emphasize and give light to Black stories.

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In 2020, Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, created Bassett Vance Productions to find and develop stories emphasizing BIPOC stories and voices. The company is partnered with ViacomCBS and is still actively growing and evolving!

4. When she gave a breathtaking performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Marvel Studios/Disney

I'm literally still not over Angela Bassett's performance, so, no, I will not be expanding. Let's just say she's the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar for a Marvel movie role. This performance is the thing Ariana DeBose was referring to in her song.

5. Okay, fine, I'll expand a little bit. Whenever Angela Bassett was onscreen in Black Panther, it was a major serve

Marvel Studios/Disney, Marvel Studios

Name a more powerful Marvel matriarch. You can't.

6. When Keke Palmer and Angela Bassett gave us an Akeelah and the Bee reunion.

Vanity Fair / Via youtube.com

C-R-Y-I-N-G. I could watch hours of them talking, or even a sequel...

youtube.com

7. And when she reached out to Ariana DeBose after the BAFTAs to make sure she was okay.

Joe Maher/BAFTA / Getty Images for BAFTA

Angela Basset told Variety that she messaged DeBose after all the attention her BAFTA performance was getting to make sure she was doing okay. Just queens supporting queens.

Keep doing ~the thing,~ Angela!

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