The Malaysian-born actress became the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress Oscar on Sunday for her multifaceted performance in the multiverse Everything Everywhere All at Once.
“I have to dedicate this to my mom and all the moms in the world because they really are the superheroes and without them none of us would be here tonight,” she said. “For all the little boys and girls watching tonight looking like me, this is a beacon of hope and possibility. This is proof that dreams are dreamed big and dreams come true. And ladies, don’t let anyone tell you you’re past your prime.”
Yeoh’s win comes nearly 90 years after Luise Rainer, a white actress, won in the same category for playing a Chinese villager on The Good Earth.
As a nominee, Yeoh was the first in the category to identify as Asian. Merle Oberon, who was nominated for “The Dark Angel” in 1935 but did not win, concealed her South Asian origins according to her birth certificate.
Yeoh defeated Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (“Tár”), as well as Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) and Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”).
The category was also informed who wasn’t nominated: In a year of strong performances from black women like Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”), they were left out. Meanwhile, some criticized the A-listers’ grassroots campaigning on social media for Riseborough.
Yeoh came off like a lock after seemingly winning every award everywhere, including the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award, for her nuanced portrayal of Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant wife, mother and laundry operator preparing for a tax audit.
Yeoh started out in the world of kung fu movies but rose to stardom in 1992 co-starring with Jackie Chan in Supercop. American audiences got to know her even better over the next decade with hits like “Tomorrow Never Dies” and Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.”
When he first read the script for Everything Everywhere, Yeoh thought it was “an indie movie on steroids.” In the end, she was convinced of the possibility of giving a voice to immigrant mothers and grandmothers who go unnoticed. The Multiverse film was also a showcase for a variety of genres: drama, comedy, sci-fi, and fantasy.
At 60, Yeoh has been in high demand since her breakout role as the controlling matriarch on Crazy Rich Asians. From there he’s done everything from a Star Trek spin-off to Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Yeoh will be starring in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese later this year. He’s also gearing up to meet Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu for the film adaptation of the musical Wicked.
Oscars 2023 Winners List
Best movie: “Everything, everywhere, at the same time”
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere at Once”
Best actor: Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere at Once”
The best supporting actress: Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere at Once”
Original song: “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
Edit movie: “Everything everywhere at once”
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere at Once”
Best Animated Feature Film: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
International feature film: “Silence on the Western Front” (Germany)
Documentary: “Navalny”
Live Action Short Film: “An Irish Farewell”
Photography: James Friend, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Make-up and hairdressing: “The whale”
Costume Design: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Documentary short film: “The Elephant Whisperers”
Animated short film: “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
Product design: “Nothing new in the West”
Music (original score): Volker Bertelmann, “Silence on the Western Front”
Visual effects: “Avatar: The Way of Water”
Original script: “Everything everywhere at once”
Custom script: “Women Who Talk”
Sound: “Top Gun: Maverick”