The Nepal Weekly 
March 14, 2023
Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win best actress, as Everything Everywhere All at Once dominated at the Oscars Awards ceremony.
The dazzling adventurous presentation won seven awards including best picture, director and original screenplay.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” remarked Yeoh accepting her award. “And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are ever past your prime,” she added.
Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis triumphed in the supporting actor and actress categories. In the history of the Oscars, no other film has ever won best picture, best director and three acting prizes.
In Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh plays a Chinese-American laundrette owner who is mired in a tax audit, stuck in a crumbling marriage and struggling to connect with her daughter Joy.
As she discovers different versions of herself in the multiverse, she must tap into their skills in order to save the world.
“This is proof that dreams do come true,” Yeoh admitted in her brief speech. “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.”
The 60-year-old actress enjoyed a late surge in momentum in this year’s Oscars race, ultimately overtaking the early frontrunner Cate Blanchett.
Yeoh is only the second woman of colour to win best leading actress, following Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball more than 20 years back.
Best leading actress has historically been far less diverse than the supporting actress category, where Ariana DeBose, Yuh-jung Youn, Regina King, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o and Octavia Spencer have won in the past decade.
Elsewhere, Brendan Fraser capped his extraordinary comeback after years away from the Hollywood spotlight by winning best actor for his performance in The Whale.
“I’m grateful to Darren Aronofsky for throwing me a creative lifeline,” said the 54 year old actor thanking the film director. “I just wanted to say thank you for this acknowledgement,” he added.
