Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP Via Getty Images
Michelle Yeoh made history for the Asian community at the 95th Academy Awards.
At the 2023 Oscars which was held at the renowned Hollywood Dolby Theatre, Asia made history with 60-year-old Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Asian artist to win Best Actress and India winning its first trophy for Best Song.
The “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” star is the first woman of complete Asian origin — and only the second woman of color — to win the best actress award in 95 years. Her recent surge, albeit coming later in her life has added to her four decades of trailblazing in the acting scene and firsts for female actresses worldwide.
With her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, Michelle was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars and like many rightly inferred, the odds were in her favor.
Yeoh’s Oscar-winning performance is her portrayal of ‘Evelyn Wang’, a Chinese-American laundromat owner in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ who is caught up in a tax audit, in a failing marriage, and finding it difficult to connect with her daughter Joy. Yet she must use the abilities of the various selves she has found across the universe in order to save the world.
Accepting the honor, Yeoh who walked gallantly to the stage in a white Dior Haute Couture gown with a mesh illusion neckline and layers of exquisite, fluttering feather fringe said, “This is proof that dreams do come true. I have to dedicate this to all the moms in the world because they are the superheroes, and without them, none of us would be here tonight.”
Photo: Getty Images The Malaysian-born actress added a diamond necklace — styled as an angelic headband — and hanging earrings from Moussaieff Jewellery to her timelessly elegant hand-sewn gown. While the crowd applauded her victory, we honestly couldn’t take our eyes off her sophisticated embrace of fringe which she revealed snippets of on Instagram before arriving on the red carpet, offering fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse at her dainty look.
Yeah’s win is an indication of what is possible with diversity and inclusion at the Oscars. Halle Berry had earlier broken the color barrier for the best actress category in 2002 via the movie, ‘Monster’s Ball’. Highlighting what the feat means for the Asian community, she also said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities.”
The Asian nominee who, at 60, was the oldest in her category further said after the announcement of her win, “… ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are ever past your prime.”
Yeoh rose to prominence in Hong Kong, starring alongside indigenous figures such as Jackie Chan before making her way into a slew of international films such as Tomorrow Never Dies, Crazy Rich Asians, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
Backstage after her win, she was caught in ecstasy, saying “Tonight, we frickin’ broke that glass ceiling. This is for the Asian community … for anybody who’s been identified as a minority. We deserve to be seen. We deserve to have the equal opportunity so we can have a seat at the table. That’s all we’re asking for. Give us that opportunity; let us prove that we’re worth it.”
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ which features Yeoh’s most recent act, practically dominated the Oscars, with seven honors, including the best picture, director, and original script, given to the imaginative multiverse adventure. Together with victories for the director and three important acting categories, Everything Everywhere All at Once won the award for best film.
