Glenn Close's "Da Butt" moment at the Oscars was planned – apart from the twerking

The Oscars were a surprisingly low-key affair this year, the event having a strange ethereal feel, the cameras shooting documentary style and weaving through the famous faces, all sat at their shimmering tables. Amid the earnest speeches came one of the nights more humorous moments: Glenn Close doing "Da Butt". 

Close was nominated for her eighth Oscar at the ceremony, this one for Supporting Actress, but failed to win. However, the 74-year-old still had her standout moment when Lil Rel Howery went around the room for a trivia game, the actor quizzing stars about whether the song being played by the night's emcee, Questlove, had won an Oscar, been nominated, or was snubbed entirely. 

For Close, Questlove played “Da Butt” from Spike Lee’s School Daze. Not only did Close know a suspicious amount about the track, but she even got up and started twerking – all to the internet's delight. Turns out, though, that she had time to prepare her "Da Butt" knowledge. 

"I knew that Lil Rel was going to quiz me about Da Butt and all three guys helped me run through what I was to say," she revealed on Instagram, referring to her table-mates Chris Terrio, Daniel Kaluuya, and Darrell Britt-Gibson.

"Darrell insisted that I mention the Backyard Band, on top of E.U., Suga Bear, and the whole DMV. I had googled 'Da Butt' and watched Spike's music video so when Lil Rel asked if I could do the dance... you can actually see me think of the video. That part was completely spontaneous. Daniel, Darrell, and Chris egged me on! It was ALL their fault."

So, there you have it, Close's viral moment was almost entirely planned, apart from the twerking. She went on to congratulate Kaluuya, writing: "You are completely brilliant. I now consider both Daniel and Darrell to be friends-for-life!"

Also at the ceremony, Nomadland went on to win Best Picture, and director Chloé Zhao won Best Director. For more from the Oscars, check out the Oscar 2021 winners list in full and the biggest Oscars talking points.