She's one of the most formidable leading ladies in global cinema—and with beloved Michelle Yeoh movies like Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians, it's not hard to see why. However, her already iconic career got an even bigger boost when she became the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award in the lead actress category last year for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The legendary actress — who you can currently see onscreen in the new Netflix series The Brothers Sun with a Netflix subscription — recently reflected on her historic Oscar win with Forbes and how she feels that coveted trophy has affected her stance in Hollywood in the year since:
You know what? When you get that [Oscar], it’s like your peers saying, ‘You’re one of us’ - the acceptance. Yes, it does change your whole outlook because it gives you the confidence, but does it mean that Oh now, that you are this? I think there are so many things you can do with it - the doors that you can keep opening, the windows you can throw open now. The ability to bring in more and be able to explore more and work with new directors, new writers and be able to have more opportunities to do that, as well. So, it has made a big difference.
Yeoh followed her big Best Actress win — she also won in that category at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards last year — with several high-profile projects, including the aforementioned The Brothers Sun, the Disney+ series American Born Chinese, which Ke Huy Quan also starred in, and the positively reviewed A Haunting in Venice. She is also set to star as Madame Morrible in the cast of Wicked, the upcoming two-part film adaptation of the famed stage musical, reuniting Yeoh with her Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu.
And given how monumental that Oscar was in film history, Yeoh must keep it in a special place, right? Well actually, it looks like that little movie man, which Michelle has jokingly dubbed "Baby O," has been on a bit of a traveling tour with its famous owner:
This little man - ‘Baby O’ has been traveling a lot. With me, with [my husband] Jean because we have been taking him to Asia. Of course, the first thing was to go home in April to be with my mom. It was her birthday and we brought Oscar back. Then she had been very kind - she allowed us to take Oscar on this journey with us because friends back in Paris, in Geneva, in London, have all wanted to be part of the whole experience. Then over Christmas, we brought him back to Asia again.
As for the much-welcome spotlight her success has shined on Asian and Asian-American communities in film — and the prevalence of Asian stories in this year's awards chatter, from TV series like Beef to drama films like Past Lives — the 61-year-old performer says it's "about time!"
About time! There are so many of these amazing stories. They have always been there, but they have not been green-lit. It’s almost like, ‘Let’s wait and see if the people want to watch these Asian [stories],’ but I think you have shown the executives, you have shown the studios. Whether it is the box office, the reviews - the love that has been so outpouring for these stories. They need to be told and it’s also refreshing, as well. These people are in your community, part of your community - why shouldn’t you learn more about them, right?
As for the Malaysian actress's upcoming projects, keep an eye out on both the 2024 movie schedule and 2024 TV schedule, because it's clear that the indomitable Michelle Yeoh isn't stopping anytime soon.
