Glenn Close Is Close to Carving Her Name in the World of Memes with Viral Oscar Dance
Actress Glenn Close stole the spotlight with an impromptu dance at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday, even though she didn't win the award.
Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her appearance in Hillbilly Elegy but lost to Minari star Yuh-Jung Youn.
It was her eighth nomination and eighth Oscar loss in her career. Close is now tied for the most acting nominations without a victory with the late Peter O'Toole.
Nonetheless, the Fatal Attraction actress gave an award-worthy performance when she danced to E.U.'s 1988 single 'Da Butt' on the spot.
By far best part of #Oscars #GlennClose giving props to DC GoGo E.U. @SugarBearEU Backyard Band #dabutt pic.twitter.com/34VsqCFY3X — Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) April 26, 2021
Close’s Award-Worthy Dance that Stole the Spotlight
Almost three hours into the show, host Lil Rel Howery started a pub-style trivia segment with the audience in which the house DJ, Questlove, played a throwback song.
Howery chose the popular names from the audience to guess if the song won an Oscar, was nominated, or was not nominated at all. All eyes were on Close when she was asked about the 1988 song 'Da Butt' after putting Andra Day and Daniel Kaluuya to the test.
The track is a 1988 single by the Washington, DC go-go band Experience Unlimited from the soundtrack to Spike Lee's film School Daze.
While Howery was skeptical if the actress could recognize the song, to his surprise, Close was a longtime listener of the track.
She replied, "Wait just a second. That's 'Da Butt.' I know that. It was a classic song by the great Washington, D.C. go-go band E.U. Shoutouts to Sugar Bear and the Backyard Band and the whole DMV."
According to her, the track was not nominated, so it couldn't have won the Academy Award, which is an "effing tragedy."
Howery, clearly taken aback, asked if she knew the dance as well: "Do you know how to do 'Da Butt?'"
Indeed, the 74-year-old knew it and then obligingly showed the dance moves. As a result, the evening's meme was born.
Close started twerking with her jewel-tone blue embellished caftan from Armani Prive, dark slacks, and gloves, showing the moves to the tune.
GLENN CLOSE DOING "DA BUTT" #Oscars pic.twitter.com/AwhR46pmWX — Vulture (@vulture) April 26, 2021
Close's Dance Went Viral on Social Media
The crowd was ecstatic, as were the viewers, who flooded social media with praise, memes, and GIFs of Close shaking her rear.
One user tweeted, “I may have just witnessed one of the greatest moments in the Oscars history.” Another one wrote, “Glenn Close gave a history lesson, cussed the Oscars out for not nominating Da Butt and then did it. Icon.”
Check out some more tweets below:
I am deceased, because Glenn Close just killed me. Just bury me somewhere nice, y’all... 💀💀💀⚰ï¸ðŸª¦ #oscars pic.twitter.com/2X36XXWSAU — Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) April 26, 2021
... And just like that, Glenn Close doing Da Butt — after offering up a Wikipedia entry for the song — has given us the meme for #Oscars pic.twitter.com/IQ6BccI6VM — Saeed Ahmed (@saeed_ahmed) April 26, 2021
This is why we nominate Glenn Close every year, no questions asked. Meryl would not do Da Butt. — Rebecca Keegan (@ThatRebecca) April 26, 2021
Many joked that her spontaneous success deserved its own prize.
“Glenn Close just won her first Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film,” wrote Entertainment Weekly reporter Joey Nolfi. Another user tweeted, “Glenn Close better win an Emmy for this at the very least.”
Glenn Close should win an Oscar for THIS — Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) April 26, 2021
Or an Emmy for her performance at the Oscars!! 😂ðŸ˜ðŸ’€ — Steven Canals (@StevenCanals) April 26, 2021
The actress has also been labeled "iconic" and "my hero" by celebrities such as Elizabeth Banks and Aubrey Plaza.
me watching glenn close aka my hero pic.twitter.com/8qpRhgnN2T — Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) April 26, 2021
So #GlennClose is #ICONIC Thank you for watching #Oscars — Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) April 26, 2021