Golden Globes 2023: Michelle Yeoh wins for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'
Michelle Yeoh is officially a Golden Globe winner.
The Malaysian actress and Hong Kong action film star won the award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture (musical or comedy) for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" at the 2023 Golden Globes.
"I'm just going to stand here and take this all in," Yeoh said at the beginning of her acceptance speech, pausing for a few seconds and clutching her trophy in her hands. "Forty years, not letting go of this."
Yeoh spoke of her "amazing journey" and "incredible fight to be here today," saying, "It's been worth it."
"I remember when I first came to Hollywood, it was a dream come true until I got here," she continued. "I came here and was told, 'You're a minority.' And I'm like, 'No, that's not possible.' And then someone said to me, 'You speak English.' And then I said, 'Yeah, the flight here was about 13 hours long, so I learned on the way.'"
Yeoh also spoke about what it has felt like aging in the movie business.
"I turned 60 last year, and I think all of you women understand this: As the days, the years and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well," she said, noting that she had even told herself she'd "had a really, really good run" and so "it's all good" -- until "Everything Everywhere All at Once," which she called "the best gift," came along.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once," written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, follows the story of Yeoh's character Evelyn, a Chinese-American immigrant who must channel parallel versions of herself to save the universe all while being audited by the IRS.
"I was given this gift of playing this woman who resonated so deeply with me and with so many people because, at the end of the day, in whatever universe she was at, she was just fighting, fighting for love, for her family," Yeoh said of the role.
Yeoh ended her acceptance speech by saying, "This is also for all the shoulders that I stand on, all who came before me who look like me, and all who are going on this journey with me forward."
With her win, Yeoh becomes the second actress of Asian descent to win in the best performance by an actress in a motion picture (musical or comedy) category, following Awkwafina's win for "The Farewell" in 2020.
Yeoh, a first-time Golden Globe nominee, beat out fellow nominees Lesley Manville ("Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"), Margot Robbie ("Babylon"), Anya-Taylor Joy ("The Menu") and Emma Thompson ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande") to secure the win.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" entered the 2023 Golden Globes with six nominations total, including Yeoh's.
