2023 Oscars: Michelle Yeoh Makes History With Best Actress Win
The actress took home the top prize for her work in 2022's 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'
And the Oscar goes to...
The actress, 60, not only nabbed one of the top prizes at the 2023 Oscars, but she also made history with her win. Specifically, for her work in 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh earned the Best Actress Oscar, making her the first Asian performer to win in that category.
Not to mention, this is the first time a non-white actress has won in the category in over two decades. (Halle Berry, who presented her with the award, made history with her Best Actress win for Monster's Ball in 2002.)
And the impact of this moment was not lost on Yeoh, who noted in her acceptance speech, "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 dreams—big dreams—do come true."
Ahead of the award show, Yeoh also addressed the importance of her nomination, as she was the first woman who identifies as Asian to be nominated in the category. (Merle Oberon, who did not openly share her Asian ancestry, was nominated for Best Actress in 1936 for her performance in The Dark Angel.)
“It’s taken a long time. But I think this is more than me,” Yeoh told The Hollywood Reporter in January. “At the present moment, constantly, all the time, having Asians walking up to me saying, ‘You can do it, you’re doing it for us.’ It’s like, ‘I understand. I totally understand.’ All this time, they’ve not been recognized, they’ve not been heard.”
Though Yeoh was a frontrunner in this category, she wasn't necessarily a shoo-in, as she was up against Tár's Cate Blanchett, Blonde's Ana de Armas, To Leslie's Andrea Riseborough, and The Fabelmans' Michelle Williams.
For how the rest of the annual Academy Awards turned out, read on: Everything You Need To Know About the 2023 Oscars
