Angela Bassett was flattered when Ariana DeBose did the thing.
ICYMI: The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star received a shoutout from Ariana in a performance celebrating female nominees at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards. "Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis, my Woman King," Ariana rapped during the Feb. 19 ceremony. "Blanchett, Cate—you're a genius / Jamie Lee, you are all of us."
The musical number quickly went viral and garnered a mix of reactions ranging from praise to criticism. So, where does Angela stand?
"It was fun to hear all the names celebrated and pronounced," she exclusively told E! News' Francesca Amiker at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25. "It's always good to hear your name."
The Oscar nominee added, "I loved it. I love Ariana."
In fact, Angela was so delighted by the buzzy rap that she referenced it while accepting the Entertainer of the Year award later that night. Taking the stage, the 64-year-old joked as she recreated Ariana's shoulder shimmy, "I guess Angela Bassett did the thing."
And when Ariana called back to her rap during an appearance at the 2023 SAG Awards, Angela was spotted letting out a laugh in the crowd.
"Not gonna lie, I had a blast," Ariana recently told BBC Radio 2's The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show of her BAFTAs performance. "So awesome. And then I spent the rest of the night...cutting a rug with Emma Thompson. Like, it was fabulous. I had a great time."
With the 2023 Academy Awards just around the corner, it's likely that Angela and Ariana—who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar last year for her work in West Side Story—will cross paths once again. In the meantime, Angela is on top of her red carpet prep.
The key, according to Angela: "Have that outfit ready, have some comfortable shoes, most definitely. I think I changed three times today."
"I have a wonderful team that gets me ready," she continued while at the NAACP Image Awards. "They get me in the mood, in the vibe, in the spirit."