Glenn Close Gives a Master Class in Reacting to Billy Porter's Tuxedo Gown

The legendary actress may not have won her Oscar, but she won the night with just one look.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

February 25 2019 9:46 AM EST

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Glenn Close didn't nab the elusive Oscar on Sunday. But the Emmy and Tony winner managed to pull off one of the night's most viral moments when she delivered an entire soliloquy about Billy Porter's gender-busting tuxedo gown with one look.

Video of Close eyeing and assessing fellow Broadway star Porter (Kinky Boots) with great approval on the red carpet has gone understandably viral.

The Pose star turned heads with his Christian Siriano-designed half tuxedo, half gown, and he did it with intention.

"Now I'm in a space where, being on Pose, I'm invited to red carpets and I have something to say through clothes," Porter said, according to Vogue. "My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean?"

Porter, who is out, continued to explain how the gown reflected his true self:

"[At the first fitting in the gown,] I felt alive. I felt free. And open, and radiant. And beautiful! Which has not always been the case for me. I haven't always felt so good about myself. It really is astonishing how much of an effect clothes have on your spirit. My aunt Dorothy used to always say, 'Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.' That's why I look good every time I leave the house. I want to run shit. From this [Oscars] moment, I want people to understand that you don't have to understand or even agree with other people's authenticity or truths, but we must all respect each other."

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\u201cWhen Glenn Close saw Billy Potter at the #oscars. She is all of us! \ud83d\ude0d\u201d
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