It was the time for Asian stars to shine the brightest at the 95th Academy Awards or Oscars 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 12 March. And, indeed, both Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan made history at the Oscars with Everything Everywhere All at Once.
While Yeoh won the Best Actress award, Quan took home the Best Supporting Actor award for their respective roles of Evelyn Wang and Waymond Wang in the film directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. It also won the top honour of Best Film.
Oscars 2023: More about Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win
Yeoh’s win is historic for multiple reasons. Not only is she the first Asian actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, but her Oscar nomination, too, was her first ever and the first for a Malaysian in any Oscar category.
She became the first Asian to win the best actress award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Yeoh won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy as well.
Yeoh delivered an emotional acceptance speech at the ceremony to resounding applause.
“This is proof that dream big and dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anyone tell you you are past your prime. Never give up,” she said.
On the other hand, Quan capped off his incredible run at awards ceremonies through the 2022-23 season with his Oscar win. He had already won over 50 best supporting actor awards, including a Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe, before the Oscar. He is also the first Asian male actor to win the best supporting actor award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Other wins for Everything Everywhere All at Once
Jamie Lee Curtis took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Curtis was a first-time nominee and is now a winner at the age of 64.
“To all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I have made for all of these years. The thousands and hundreds and thousands of people, we just won an Oscar, together!” Curtis said in her acceptance speech.
Her co-star Stephanie Hsu was also nominated in the same category. Directors, the Daniels, won the awards for Best Original Screenplay as well as Best Director.
(Main and Featured images: Allyson Riggs)
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
