Ariana DeBose’s sweet reaction to coming face-to-face with Morgan Freeman is likely how many would react if they were in a similar situation.
The West Side Story star shared a Live with Kelly and Ryan clip on her social media, where she gets starstruck by the Invictus actor as he walks up beside her at the 95th annual Oscars on Sunday. In the video, DeBose freezes as her mouth drops when she sees Freeman, initially startling the Oscar-winning actor.
“I just really respect and love you a lot, sir,” she proceeds to say before shaking his hand. “And my name’s Ariana and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“How do you do, Ariana?” The Dark Knight actor responds, clarifying how to pronounce her name. After the interaction, DeBose walks away, clearly elated to have met someone she looks up to.
When the Oscar-winning actress shared the footage to her social media on Monday, she added the caption, “Wholesome moments only. It was an honor to meet you sir!”
This isn’t the first time the actress had a moment to go viral on social media. In February, DeBose’s 2023 BAFTA Awards performance included an original rap where she paid tribute to nominated actresses, including Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my Woman King, Blanchett Cate you’re a genius and Jamie Lee you are all of us,” DeBose sang, with led to a widespread debate erupting across social media regarding the line, “Angela Bassett did the thing.”
After seeing the viral reaction at the time, DeBose weighed in, saying, “The internet is wild y’all! Appreciate all the love.”
The infamous line then came full circle when Bassett won entertainer of the year at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards. Once she took the stage, the actress joked, “I guess Angela Bassett did the thing!”
