Michelle Yeoh says Oscar win would be for 'whole community of asians'

Michelle Yeoh’s win at the Oscars will be epoch-making if it happens. Not just for the Everything Everywhere All At Once actress but for all Asians according to Yeoh.

The 60-year-old became the first Malaysian to receive an Academy Award nomination in any category with her nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Yeoh has already won both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In Everything Everywhere All At Once, she plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who turns out to be the film’s improbable hero.

Speaking to BBC Yeoh said: “You want to have that seat at the table, so you can have the privilege to be seen and heard. What I’m asking for is the privilege to compete.”

“I’m very aware that it’s beyond me being recognised as an actress. It’s a whole community of Asians coming forward and saying: You have to do this for us."

“Asians tend to not show so much emotion. And I think maybe it’s a misconception that we don’t need our stories told, which is not true. It’s how we tell the story that makes a difference. The audience wants Hollywood to reflect the global community.”

Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng rose to prominence in the 1990s after starring in a sequence of Hong Kong action films. Her earliest big Western role was in James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, in which she played a Chinese spy alongside Pierce Brosnan.