Angela Bassett knows how to give soul-shattering compliments, as evidenced in this interview she had with her newly-minted fellow Oscar nominee, Brian Tyree Henry.
Henry and Bassett were on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Henry was given the chance to ask Basset questions interview-style. When Henry asked what seemed like a jokey question–did she like him or Corden more–Bassett answered it in the most sincere way possible.
“I love what my eyes have laid sight on. And that is a completely brilliant artist whose work I’ve come to admire and to love,” she said to Henry. “I appreciate the work that you do and I hope to be lucky one day to work with you. Your vulnerability and sensitivity and strength and you’re just a badass!”
The compliments reduced Henry to tears as he stood up to hug her to the audience’s applause.
Social media responded to the video with even more praise for Henry, with one commenter writing that everyone should give Henry his flowers. “Yes,” they said in response to Bassett, “and we should all say it.”
“I love his progression, so consistently good in everything,” wrote another. “His future is so bright!”
Another person wrote about something a lot of us wish for–the chance to be heaped praise on by Bassett.
“If I ever wanted to be in another person’s shoes, this moment may be high on my list,” they wrote.
Both Bassett and Henry are now nominated for Oscars, as revealed Tuesday during the Oscars nominations ceremony. Bassett has earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her category is stacked with other powerhouse performances from Everything Everywhere All At Once, including Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as Hong Chau in The Whale. Henry is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Causeway.
