Are you sick of hearing about how Angela Bassett did the thing yet? Because I am nearly certain that this will never go away. It will be tied to Bassett, lovingly, for a very long time. It’s high camp, inexplicable, and taps into a truth we all know in our hearts: Angela Bassett is universally beloved and has been doing “the thing” for a very long time, and it’s about damn time she gets the admiration and respect she deserves. Ariana DeBose, with her theater kid energy, was merely the vessel to bring this phrase (and acknowledged truth) into our lives, and we should be grateful to her for eternity for that.
Anyway, I’m here to give you an update on everything Angela Bassett Doing the Thing related, so buckle up, and get ready.
First and foremost, Bassett did the kind thing and checked in on DeBose when people were crapheads about her performance rap spectacular, which I still can’t get enough of. Per Variety:
“I DM’d her last night. I did. It was beautiful,” Bassett told Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday evening. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay because, you know, it’s a lot of attention. And she is A-Okay.”
That is lovely.
That same night, Bassett won her respective category and then blessed us with this:
That’s right. She did the thing.
The following night, at the SAG awards, Bassett reiterated her love for the rap to USA Today:
“It want to let everyone know who can hear the sound of my voice that I Ioved it and appreciated it,” Bassett told USA TODAY on the Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet Sunday.
[…]
Bassett said the [NAACP Image Awards acceptant] speech was her way of helping to turn the public sentiment about the performance.
“In the beginning, it was looking one way,” Bassett said. “But I said, ‘Hold on, stay patient, it can turn.’ And it has begun to turn to a positive. To be a beautiful moment. For both of us. And I am so glad because I loved it.”
I am loving the solidarity Bassett is showing DeBose, because DeBose really sold that entire number. Jamie Lee Curtis wholeheartedly agreed with Bassett’s take when asked about it on the red carpet at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday by the way. (Side note, award season seems exhausting. I barely got out of my pajamas all weekend, and both Bassett and Curtis had to get dolled up for multiple occasions. Yeesh.):
Back to the SAG awards, DeBose seems to be embracing the love “the thing” is getting:
You gotta watch the clip because you see Bassett’s reaction; it’s fun all around.
The Oscars are on March 12th, and as the reigning Best Supporting Actress, DeBose will likely present the award to the incoming winner, of which Bassett is nominated. So there’s still juice in this schtick, yet. As I said, I love it. I still can’t get enough of it. The whole thing came out of left field, and I love that everyone is embracing the weirdness of it all and not upset by it.
I’ll leave you with a final theory as to what, exactly, the thing could have been, and I warn you. It’s a literal interpretation. (Spoilers: it involves sex and Michael Chiklis.)
That’s right. Michael Chiklis was The Thing in The Fantastic Four movie. He was then in American Horror Story, where his love interest was Angela Bassett. Ergo, Angela Bassett did The Thing. Hey, I didn’t tell you this was an elegant theory; I just told you it was a theory.
(featured image: Kayla Oaddams/WireImage)
