Just two months ago, Michelle Yeoh, after a remarkable four-decade career, finally achieved the status of an Oscar-winning actor for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Yeoh acknowledges that Asian performers have been overlooked for far too long but remains optimistic about the future.
During her participation in the Kering Women in Motion talks at Cannes, Yeoh took a moment to reflect on her first experience at the prestigious festival over 20 years ago with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
According to Yeoh, it was evident that Hollywood was not prepared to acknowledge Asian actors during that time. Despite the tremendous success of the Ang Lee film, which grossed over $200 million worldwide and received 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture, best director, and screenplay, none of the actors received nominations.
Yeoh expressed, “During that time, there were numerous remarkable Asian and Chinese movies that were released. However, if you observe the films that are nominated and receive awards here in Cannes, and particularly at the Oscars, it is quite rare for actors to be recognized. They would nominate directors, films, and everything else, but you can’t help but wonder how they reach that point without acknowledging the actors. It seems a bit peculiar.”
Continuing her thoughts, Yeoh stated, “When ‘Crouching Tiger’ was released, people were skeptical, saying, ‘Americans won’t watch this film because they can’t read subtitles.’ But guess what? Americans do know how to read.”
Yeoh firmly believes that the success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” serves as evidence that diverse storytelling should be embraced and that audiences are genuinely interested in fresh ideas.
According to Yeoh, “It’s simply a matter of pushing boundaries and refusing to accept the status quo as the ‘norm.’ Would ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ have received nominations in the past under the ‘normal way’? Most likely not, five to ten years ago.”
When “Crazy Rich Asians” achieved global success in 2018, Yeoh explains that Hollywood executives finally started paying attention. However, she emphasizes that if “Crazy Rich Asians” had not been profitable, she wouldn’t be sitting here today. Yeoh addressed the double standard in the entertainment industry, where men are often granted more second chances than women, even in the face of financial failures.
“There are mega films that incur significant losses, yet they continue to repeat the same formula,” Yeoh remarked. “Studios consider it their comfort zone: bigger budgets, more violence, and increased CGI, thinking it will make the movies better. But the truth is, it’s not about that. It’s truly about storytelling. In ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once,’ even though we traversed multiple universes, the central theme remained love.”
Yeoh made it clear that there will not be a sequel to “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” During her conversation with Variety at Cannes, she stated, “There’s no sequel. We would just be doing the same thing.”
Currently, Yeoh is witnessing the most significant progress she has ever seen in her career. She shared, “The best thing that has happened is I receive a script that doesn’t describe the character as a Chinese or Asian-looking person. We are actors. We are supposed to act. We are supposed to step into roles that are given to us and do our job as best we can. That, for me, is the biggest step forward.”
Regarding her Oscar win, Yeoh hopes that it will not only enable her to negotiate for better pay and better roles but also create a path forward for others. She mentioned the immense pride her win generated among her people and emphasized that the door she opened with her victory should remain open, allowing others to succeed as well.
Yeoh’s acceptance speech at the Oscars became viral when she declared, “Ladies, you are never past your prime.” Many viewers interpreted this line as a response to former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s controversial statement about a woman’s prime years. Yeoh did not explicitly mention Lemon’s name during her discussion at Cannes, but she confirmed that she was referring to “some journalist” who had made a comment about women being past their prime in their 30s or 40s.
“He tried to say it comes from Google or something like this,” Yeoh added. “But do we have to live our lives based on what someone else decides? As the numbers increase, it becomes easy for things to diminish. There are fewer roles. I was always frustrated. Why do men in their 60s, 70s, or 80s get to go on these grand adventures while I have to stay at home waiting for the phone to ring? No! It’s about fighting for these opportunities. Why can’t we do it? Mothers are just as fierce, if not more.”
You can watch Yeoh’s complete Kering in Motion talk in the video provided below.
Source: Variety
