by Michelle Yeoh made history at the 2023 Oscars as Everything Everywhere All At Once took home a string of major awards.
Yeoh, 60, reclaimed the Best Actress Oscar, fending off competition from two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett to become the first woman of Asian descent to win the award, and only the second black woman to take home the trophy .
Taking the stage, he said: “Thank you, thank you. For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibility.
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“This is proof that…dream big, and dream big Do come true. And ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you are ever past your prime. Never give up.”
She thanked her directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and the sci-fi film’s cast crew, saying she wouldn’t be “here tonight” without them.
Yeoh then dedicated the award to his mother in Kuala Lumpur who was watching the event in live streaming.
“I have to dedicate this to my mom, to all the moms in the world, because they truly are superheroes and without them none of us would be here tonight. She is 84 years old and I take her home. She is watching right now in Malaysia, KL with my family and friends. I love you guys, I’ll bring it home.
“And also to my extended family in Hong Kong where I started my career. Thank you for letting me stand on your shoulders, giving me a leg up so I can be here today.
“And my godchildren, my sisters, all of them. My brothers, oh God, my family. Thank you, thank you!
“Thanks to the Academy. This is history in the making. Thank you!”
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Speaking later in the winners’ room, he told reporters he had “kung-fud” the “glass ceiling” with his win.
“I think this is something we’ve been working so hard on for a long time and we broke that glass ceiling tonight,” she said.
“I kung-fud it and I destroyed it, and we need it because there are so many who have felt invisible or unheard.”
