As most know, a win at the Golden Globes is oftentimes a precursor for the Oscars, so plenty of Malaysians will surely be watching in anticipation!

Making her country very proud, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh’s winning streak hit a new high when the award for Best Performance in a Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy at the 2023 Golden Globes Awards went to her. Winning the award for her startling and masterful performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once as Evelyn Wang, Yeoh gave a heartfelt speech about how much the role meant to her.

Yeoh’s long-held Hollywood career began in the late ’90s with the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies followed by Ang Lee’s 2000 Oscar-winning martial arts drama Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She touched on her first experienced in Tinseltown when receiving her award, recalling the challenged she had to experience as an Asian actor.

“Because, look at this face, 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.’ I mean, forget about them not knowing Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Asia, India… and then I said, ‘Yeah, the flight here was about 13 hours long, so, I learned.”

Although Yeoh’s Hollywood experience includes working with acclaimed directors including Steven Spielberg, Rob Marshall, and James Cameron, the 60-year-old veteran found that opportunities began to decrease in recent years.

“I thought, ‘Hey, come on girl. You had a really, really good run,’” she said.

And then — in a true Hollywood ending — came Everything Everywhere All at Once, a movie she calls “a gift.”

“Thank you A24 for believing in these two goofy, insanely smart, wonderful geniuses, [directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert], who had the courage to write about a very ordinary immigrant, ageing woman, mother, daughter,” she said.

She continued, “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 fighting for love, for her family.”

Before leaving the stage, she lovingly acknowledged her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-stars Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan.

“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,” Yeoh said.

As most know, a win at the Golden Globes is often a bellwether for recognition in the Oscars, so movie aficionados and proud Malaysians alike will surely be watching in anticipation. Congratulations, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh!