Michelle Yeoh‘s Golden Globe win for best actress in the sci-fi comedy “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has sparked hope that an Oscar may be on the horizon for the Malaysian star. Yeoh is the second Asian actor to win the award, after Awkwafina in 2020 for “The Farewell”, and her win was met with a flurry of congratulatory messages online. Many fans are airing hopes that this will boost her chances of getting the Oscar for best actress.
In her acceptance speech, Yeoh reflected on her early years in Hollywood and the barriers she had to face as a minority actress. She dedicated her award to fellow minority actors and acknowledged the many “shoulders” she stood on, all who came before her who look like her, and all who are going on this journey with her forward,”
Yeoh’s showbiz career started in Hong Kong in the 1980s, where she became a household name for roles in Hong Kong action films, particularly those also starring Jackie Chan, and did many of her own stunts. She later became better known among Western audiences for roles in James Bond’s film “Tomorrow Never Dies” and the Oscar-winning drama “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. More recently, she appeared in the blockbusters “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.
If she pulls off an Oscar win, Yeoh will be the first Asian actress to win the award. Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced later in January, while the actual awards ceremony will be held in March. While past Asian Oscar winners include Bong Joon-Ho, who was named best director for “Parasite” in 2019 and Chloe Zhao was named best director for “Nomadland” in 2020 and Youn Yuh-jung won best supporting actress for Minari.
