Michelle Yeoh is the First Asian & Malaysian to Receive a Best Actress Oscar Nomination
Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh’s rise to stardom in Hollywood after her performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (EEAAO) has been meteoric, to say the least, and now she has made history yet again with her first Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category. This nomination is a major achievement, as she is the first Asian to be nominated in the category and the first Malaysian to be nominated for an Oscar.
The Ipoh-born actress was considered a strong Oscar contender after receiving dozens of nominations and wins in the industry after playing Evelyn Wang in the absurdist comedy-drama film. She also recently received the award for Best Actress in a musical or comedy film at the Golden Globes –– making her the first Malaysian to win a Golden Globe, and only the second Asian actor to win in the category.
Yeoh posted about the nomination on her Instagram page, saying that she was “overwhelmed and overjoyed with happiness!” Despite her storied film career, Yeoh has been vocal in the past about the lack of opportunities for Asian actors in the industry and she thanked the directors of the film for giving her the chance to shine in the role.
She went on to say, “Playing Evelyn Wang has been one of the great privileges of my 40-year career. It is truly the role of a lifetime. Thank you to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for seeing me and for this opportunity, I will forever cherish this moment.”
Henry Golding, who famously acted as her son Nick Young in the 2018 hit movie ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ also congratulated her on the win by commenting on her post: “Making history right here!!!” Other Asian actors in the industry such as her former co-star Gemma Chan, Ken Jeong, and Daniel Wu also congratulated her on her historical achievement.
Yeoh will be up against Cate Blanchett (Tar), Ana De Armas (Blonde), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) to contend for the Best Actress trophy.
The movie is also a lead contender at the 95th Academy Awards which will be held on 12 March in Los Angeles, as it received 11 nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.
Our fingers and toes are crossed for her to make Malaysia proud again!
Image credit: facebook.com/everythingeverywheremovie