Glenn Close shook her ass to 'Da Butt' at the Oscars, and everyone loved it

It was an unexpected highlight, but not an unwelcome one.
 By 
Amanda Yeo
 on 
Glenn Close shook her ass to 'Da Butt' at the Oscars, and everyone loved it
Glenn Close displayed some notable knowledge of go-go music at the Oscars. Credit: ABC / AMPAS via Getty Images

This year in Oscar's history, veteran actor and producer Glenn Close shook her ass to 1988 funk track "Da Butt" by E.U. Not everyone was nominated at the 93rd Academy Awards, but all of us still won.

In a short segment celebrating movie music, actor Lil Rel Howery challenged Oscars attendees to identify famous film tracks from snippets played by DJ Questlove. Yet while Lil Rel Howery's banter with Best Supporting Actor winner Daniel Kaluuya was fun, it was Hillbilly Elegy star Glenn Close's quick identification of a song from the 1988 School Daze soundtrack that stole the show.

"I know that! 'Da Butt' was a classic song by the great Washington, D.C. go-go band E.U." said Close. "Shoutouts to Sugar Bear and the BackYard Band and the whole D.M.V."


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Gregory "Sugar Bear" Elliot is the frontman of E.U., or Experience Unlimited, and BackYard Band is another Washington, D.C. go-go band. Close wasn't referring to the Department of Motor Vehicles with her reference to the D.M.V. either, rather the Washington metropolitan area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia).

"Spike Lee had ['Da Butt'] written for his brilliant movie School Daze, and my friends at the Oscars missed it and it wasn't nominated so it couldn't have won, which I think is just an effing tragedy," Close continued.

Though no doubt at least partially scripted, viewers were impressed with Close's apparent knowledge of the Washington, D.C. music scene. However it was when the revered 74-year-old actor stood up and put her moves where her mouth was that this truly became a moment to remember, with Close demonstrating to Lil Rel Howery the finer points of how to do Da Butt.

Twitter loved it of course, with Close's moves becoming an unexpected highlight of the night. Few people have the bravery, good nature, and moves to twerk live on television, and fewer expected famed actor Glenn Close to be one of them.

Close lost the Best Supporting Actress award to Minari's Youn Yuh-jung, tying Peter O'Toole's record for most Academy Award nominations without a win. Yet while she didn't win the Oscar, she definitely won the night.

Topics Celebrities

Amanda Yeo
Amanda Yeo
Assistant Editor

Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets.

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