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13th Mar 2023

Michelle Yeoh becomes first-ever Asian winner of best actress Oscar

Steve Hopkins

‘Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are ever past your prime’

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win best actress as Everything Everywhere All at Once swept the Oscars on Sunday night in what was a “dream come true” moment for the star.

The creative multiverse adventure took home seven awards including best picture, director and original screenplay, after receiving 11 nominations. In the history of the Oscars, no other film has ever won best picture, best director and three acting prizes.

In her acceptance speech, Yeoh said: “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities.

“And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are ever past your prime.”

“This is proof that dreams do come true,” Yeoh said in her 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.”

Yeoh’s co-stars, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis, triumphed in the supporting actor and actress categories.

In Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh plays a Chinese-American laundrette owner who is burdened by a tax audit while stuck in a crumbling marriage and struggling to connect with her daughter Joy.

She then discovers different versions of herself in the multiverse, and must use her new-found skills to save the world.

The 60-year-old is only the second woman of colour to win best leading actress, following Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball more than two decades ago.

Brendan Fraser completed his awards sweep, winning the Best Actor Oscar for The Whale, in what has become a remarkable comeback for the actor.

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