TAN Sri Michelle Yeoh has struck Oscar gold. The 60-year-old actor capped off a successful awards season run in historic fashion for her performance as multi-dimensional heroine Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Her win makes her the first Asian actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in the 95 years of the award show’s history. She is also the first non-white actor to win the award since Halle Berry in 2001.
She beat out Cate Blanchett (Tár), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) for the honour.
Yeoh made a grand entrance in a feathered ball gown by Dior Haute Couture, which gave her an angelic and regal appearance. The gown featured a sweetheart neckline with sheer illusion straps and cascades of delicate white feathers and tulle that flowed down the length of the dress. Yeoh completed her look with an array of diamond Moussaieff high jewelry, including a sparkling hair ornament, chandelier earrings, a ring, and a wristwatch with a white band.
Yeoh came into the night with all the momentum after winning the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among the major precursor awards as Everything Everywhere became the unexpected awards season juggernaut, being nominated 11 times at the Oscars.
The science fiction independent film allowed Yeoh to play many different versions of the character – even one with hot dogs for fingers. It was a surprise hit which grossed US$100 million (RM448.5 million) internationally.
Earlier in the night, Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis took home their respective awards in Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Everything Everywhere took home the top prize, winning Best Picture. It also won Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, with the directing tandem of Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan nabbing Best Director.
This marks a career high point for Yeoh, who rose to stardom in the Hong Kong action cinema of the 80s and 90s before gaining Western attention in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
However, she turned down any work until 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was nominated for 10 Oscars – though none for acting – and winning for Best Foreign Language Film.
Yeoh has been working consistently in Hollywood, gaining new fans with 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians. She also made an appearance in the 2021 Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
In a recent interview with People, Yeoh reflected on her decades-long career that started with her starring in Hong Kong kung-fu films. She expressed her pride in breaking away from stereotypes in the industry and being recognized for her work.
"A lot of actresses find, as the numbers get bigger, the roles start to dwindle," she said. "Over the last few years, I'm very proud that we have been breaking away from stereotypes – it's not just lip service. It is happening. And it's happening to me."
Yeoh went on to express her gratitude for being given the opportunity to be seen and recognized for her work. "You go from shock to bewilderment," she said. "'Wow, is it me? How can it be me?' Because I've worked with so many amazing actresses who should have had this privilege, and so I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to sit at the table and to be seen." – The Vibes, March 13, 2023
