Celebrities
Sinead Butler
Feb 23, 2023
content.jwplatform.com
Ariana DeBose gained viral attention after the Oscar-winning actor and singer's now infamous performance at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday (February 19) and there was more than one line in the rap that left viewers perplexed.
During the song, a breathless DeBose attempted to rap all of the female candidates' names in just 45 seconds, delivering us the meme-worthy lines such as: "Angela Basset did the thing."
Though it was what she had to say about Jamie Lee Curtis who was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once that had people scratching their heads.
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"Jamie Lee you are all of us," DeBose declared, as the camera panned to Curtis bopping her head to the song in approval.
But now, musical director Benjamin Rauhala has revealed the meaning behind the last line of the unforgettable rap.
In a TikTok, Rauhala showed DeBose rehearsing the rap backstage as she was getting her makeup touched up.
@brauhala Backstage with #ArianaDebose, getting ready to do the thing at the BAFTAs. 🥳 #bafta #baftas #angelabassett
An inquisitive viewer then asked what we were all thinking in the comments - "Requesting a 'Jamie Lee you are all of us' breakdown."
To which Rauhala explained it was in reference to the "sweet meme" of Curtis reacting to Michelle Yeoh winning her Golden Globe.
Here's the photo for some context - which Curtis ended up getting the image on a shirt that read: "Friends Supporting Friends."
There you have it - mystery solved.
It turns out both DeBose and Rauhala were fans of the viral reactions from the performance.
"Backstage with Ariana, getting ready to... do the thing," he wrote referencing the Basset line the TikTok.
He added: "We are giggling at everyone who has our campy little number stuck in their heads. Thank you for the love and the hilarious memes."
DeBose, who has deactivated her Twitter since the performance, also commented "honestly I love this," on Instagram underneath a collection of memes posted by writer and editor Evan Ross Katz.
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