IN a wide-ranging talk with Variety, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh – who of course took home an Oscar earlier this year – spoke about the progress Asian performers have made in recent years, as well as touching on the hit film that earned her the award.
The 61-year-old actress revealed there won’t be a sequel to Everything Everywhere All At Once. “There’s no sequel,” she said. “We would just be doing the same thing.”
Yeoh reflected on the first time she came to the prestigious film festival with the highly acclaimed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon more than 20 years ago.
Directed by Ang Lee, the martial arts epic was a box office success, earning more than US$200 million worldwide and receiving 10 Oscar nods, including best picture, best director and screenplay. However, none of the talent in front of the camera was recognised.
“There were so many great Asian, Chinese movies that came out at that time,” Yeoh said. “But if you look at all the films that get nominated here in Cannes and get awards, very rarely, especially at the Oscars…they would nominate best director, best film, everything. You wonder how do you get there without the actors? So, it seems a little odd.”
The Ipoh born actress says the success of Everything Everywhere All At Once shows that diverse storytelling has an audience around the world.
“It’s just a matter of pushing the envelope and refusing to say that this is the ‘normal way.’ In the ‘normal way,’ would Everything Everywhere All At Once would have been nominated? Chances are no, five to ten years ago,” Yeoh says.
According to her, it took the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 for the big bosses in Hollywood to pay attention to the Asian audience.
But if Crazy Rich Asians didn’t make money, she says, “I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”
Yeoh hopes her Oscar win will not just benefit her career, but the people following in her footsteps as well.
“The most important thing it has done is it has generated such pride with our people,” Yeoh said.
“The day I won I honestly heard the roar of joy that came from that corner of the world. It’s been slowly moving in that way and this has pushed the door open and it’s not shutting behind me…When there’s so few roles in the past it’s so competitive.
“If you get the job, I don’t get the job. But now we have to change the mindset. If I’m successful, you can be successful.” – The Vibes, May 22, 2023
_and_later_as_a_homeless_person._Facebook_photos..png)
