Angela Bassett was proper there when Austin Butler was bracing himself for the Best Actor announcement on the Oscars.
The actress informed of reaching for his hand in a brief essay that ran with a TIME 100 tribute to Butler that was revealed as we speak.
Butler was vying for Best Actor honors with Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy, Paul Mescal, and Brendan Fraser, the latter the eventual winner.
“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,” Bassett wrote. “So, I took his hand and held it softly as the winner was announced. Although his name wasn’t called, Austin is no less a winner.”
Bassett herself was nominated for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Much was written about her obvious disappointment when her title wasn’t known as. But she was much more understanding of what not profitable can imply.
The Butler loss isn’t the top, however a starting for Butler, who can shed his “Elvis” persona now.
“The time had 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.”
Butler and Bassett met on the awards circuit and rapidly hit it off.
“Despite all that swirled around him, Austin opened his heart to new friends,” Bassett mentioned. “I was fortunate to be one of them.”
Bassett, who was Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of Tina Tuner within the 1993 movie What’s Love Got To Do With It, is aware of how exhausting it may be to shed a strong characteriation.
“A lot goes into an actor’s finding their way into an icon, not pretending to be them, but offering a perspective on the artist as we perform slices of their story,” Bassett wrote. “You walk away from that set forever changed. Your hope is that when people see the film, they don’t see you — they see an artist’s journey through a different lens. Austin accomplished this with a brilliantly nuanced performance.”
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