MICHELLE Yeoh on Sunday (Monday, PH time) made history by becoming the first Asian to win an Oscars for Best Actress for her exuberant portrayal of an immigrant business owner thrust into a zany multiverse in the sci-fi trip “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
The Hollywood veteran won over Academy voters with her complex take on Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American laundromat owner who is mired in a tax audit, stuck in a crumbling marriage and struggling to connect with her daughter Joy.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that…. dream big and dreams do come true,” Yeoh said as she accepted the award.
“And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up,” she said to cheers.
Yeoh won top honors over strong performances from Cate Blanchett (“Tar”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”) and Ana de Armas (“Blonde”).
“Everything,” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, arrived at Hollywood’s biggest gala at the top of the nominations pile with 11 chances at Oscars glory, including for best picture.
Yeoh was born to Malaysian-Chinese parents on August 6, 1962 in the city of Ipoh, north of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Her global big break came in the James Bond installment “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), in which she played a Chinese spy opposite Pierce Brosnan, redefining the typical Bond girl. (Agence France-Presse)
