Became the first Asian-American Best Actress in Oscar history
Michelle Yeoh: Dreams are big and there will be a day when they come true
Whether Michelle Yeoh can become the first Asian Best Actress in Oscar history has become the biggest highlight of this year's Oscars.
In the end, Michelle Yeoh got the statuette.
In her acceptance speech, she said: "I receive this award today for every (Asian) little girl and boy who looks like me. This award symbolizes hope and possibility. This award is a testament to 'Dream Big' There is also a day when it will come true'. Ladies, don't let anyone define 'Your time is gone', never give up. This award is not only to thank my film team, but also to my mother, all the people in the world Mom, because they are superheroes. Without them, there would be no one of us here tonight." "Sixty years old can also shine, work hard, persevere, keep working hard, work hard, work hard!"
She repeatedly emphasized to people
"I've been waiting for this role for 40 years"
Michelle Yeoh regards "The Universal Universe" as a gift for her nearly 40 years of filming. The film tells the story of Xiulian played by Michelle Yeoh who is facing a middle-aged dilemma. As a result, she is suddenly told by her husband from another universe: There are many universes in the world, and there are many There is a "she", the fate of these "her" is somehow connected, and the fate of many universes is now in the hands of this "her".
Michelle Yeoh loves this role deeply.
She repeatedly emphasized to people that "I have been waiting for this role for 40 years."
Although the plot of "The Universal Universe" is wild and unconstrained, with a strong sense of comedy, Xiulian played by Michelle Yeoh is deeply sympathetic. She is a very powerful and profound character. She is in a difficult situation like many middle-aged women , her husband wants to divorce her, her daughter is rebellious and alienated, her father is dissatisfied with her everywhere, she runs the laundry with all her strength, and has to deal with the audit work of the IRS, but in other universes, she is not such a "lost" middle-aged woman Women, but kung fu masters, can protect their families.
"She did everything in her power to keep the family together and tried to prove to her family that she was a successful person. I have seen Xiulian in many people, and I feel obliged to tell their stories."
The empathy for this character made Michelle Yeoh put great enthusiasm into filming this movie.
Michelle Yeoh said that she would usually appear in a movie after filming, but after a long time after the filming of "The Universe", when she mentioned this movie and the role she played, Michelle Yeoh would still cry emotionally.
When the film was released last year, she said in an interview with foreign media: "This is a script I have been looking forward to for a long time. I finally have the opportunity to show my abilities to my fans, family and audience. I have been waiting for this moment for too long. I can prove to them that I can be funny, I can be sincere, I can be sad, and finally someone understands that I can do all of this.” Michelle Yeoh was glad that she happened to be in Los Angeles at the time and could meet the director. I will only act if I fall in love with this character, can establish a connection with the character, and feel the passion. So I have to meet with the director, I want to see the passion in their eyes, and I don’t want to leave my family and lover because of a character I don’t like. After four months of filming, if I can’t believe in this role, how can I play it well?”
Her personality is to refuse to give up
"If you give up or give in, you've already lost"
Although she has acted in many Hollywood productions and seems to have unlimited scenery, Michelle Yeoh did not really become the "big heroine" in Hollywood's mind until the success of "The Instant Universe". Michelle Yeoh is very clear about the reason: "For a long time, Asian Actors of American descent have been only given stereotyped or irrelevant roles."
Michelle Yeoh once recalled that when she first arrived in Hollywood, people said to her, "You are a minority", and some people were surprised that she could speak English, "I developed from Hong Kong, China to Hollywood, and suddenly became a minority. Here I am There are no Asian actors, and the staff can't even figure out where China, Japan, or Korea are. They wonder how I can speak English. I joked that it would take almost 13 hours to fly here. I learned English in these 13 hours .”
Hollywood is not the home of Asian actors. No matter how popular Asian actors are, there are very few opportunities to get core roles.
Michelle Yeoh said: "This shouldn't have anything to do with the color of my skin, but it has always been a battle, at least you have to let me try." Michelle Yeoh's personality is to refuse to give up, "because you give up or give in, you have already lost ".
She thinks that all Asian compatriots have thought about it
"To light a light for a group of people who have a face like mine"
Michelle Yeoh won the award for "The Universe" and won the award, the 94th National Board of Review Best Actress, the 80th Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Musical Comedy, and the 29th Screen Actors Guild of America's first Asian-American Best Actress The leading role, the Best Leading Actor Award in the "Independent Spirit Award", the highest honor in the American independent film industry, etc., these awards undoubtedly increased her weight to win the Oscar for Best Actress. Best Actress of Asian descent.
Before the Oscars, Michelle Yeoh was constantly asked about her expectations for the best actress in the Oscars. Michelle Yeoh did not shy away from her desire every time. She once mentioned the power of "representation". An Asian woman won the Academy Award for Best Actress, which always lingers in her mind, "Of course I thought about (winning an Oscar), not just me, I think my fellow Asians have thought about it. They Often came up to me and said, 'You are our representative.'”
She added not long ago: "It's not only important to me, but also a light for a group of people who have a similar face to me. We are never on the field, so of course we value winning or not. I think Award? Yes, I want it! For me, and not just for me. What I want to say is that we are all sitting at the same table, working together, and telling beautiful stories together."
On March 7, Michelle Yeoh reposted an article written by a reporter from Vogue magazine on her social media account. The article was titled "The Best Actress Oscars for the past two decades have been monopolized by whites. Is there a change?
", mentioned that Cate Blanchett, who is also a candidate this year, has already achieved great success. She has already won two Oscars, and winning it again is just icing on the cake. For Michelle Yeoh, who was only nominated for the first time, If she can win, it will be a world-shaking change, and this actress, who has not been able to really play in Hollywood in the past ten years, will get more high-quality resources.
This news was questioned because Michelle Yeoh posted a post to solicit votes for herself a few hours before the Oscar voting deadline, which violated Oscar regulations, so she quickly deleted this post, and also deleted the personal testimonial that she attached when she forwarded the link: " It’s not just about me personally, it’s about every Asian girl like me. We want the world to see us and hear us.”
In the end, Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress. As she said at the Oscars ceremony, her award, for Asian actors, "is a spark of hope, proving that dreams can be realized even if they are big."
Text/Reporter Xiao Yang Coordinator/Liu Jianghua
behind the scenes
11 nominations and 7 awards
Why did "The Universal Universe" sweep the Oscars?
The 95th Academy Awards Ceremony was held on March 12th, Beijing time. "The Universe" became the biggest winner unsurprisingly, winning awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, etc. With seven awards, Michelle Yeoh even won Best Actress for this film, becoming the first Asian-American Best Actress Oscar.
"The Instant Universe" is the biggest hit of this year's Oscars, with 11 nominations in total.
According to IGN (Imagine Games Network) statistics, "The Transient Universe" has so far received 158 honors from major film critic organizations and awarding institutions, becoming the most awarded film in global film history.
Previously, the top spot was occupied by "Lord of the Rings 3", and IGN statistics said that it won 101 major awards.
"The Universal Universe" was released in North America on March 25, 2022. With its unrestrained imagination and funny and meaningful mixed style, it made the audience hooked and became the biggest dark horse work in 2022.
It is reported that the director Guan Jiayong was originally a fan of Jackie Chan, and he has liked Jackie Chan since he was a child. Therefore, when he created the script of "The Universe", he originally wanted to tailor it for Jackie Chan.
As a result, during the creation process, he found that the protagonist was changed to a woman, and the conflict was stronger, which made the story more exciting.
The reason why Michelle Yeoh was chosen was because her performance in "Crazy Rich Asians" shocked the two directors. It turns out that Michelle Yeoh not only knows how to "fight", but also has such good acting skills.
Guan Jiayong said: "Daniel and I have very strong women in our family. It is so interesting that such a woman becomes the protagonist! We are very nervous after writing, because only Michelle Yeoh can play this role in this world. If she does not play , the movie is over."
Guan Jiayong and Daniel Schnatter are the "weird directors" in Hollywood. Guan Jiayong's grandfather immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong to make a living by opening a laundromat, and his father grew up in a laundromat.
His personal experience and family background endow "The Transient Universe" with a strong East Asian attribute.
Guan Jiayong once said that the pressure of reality made him want to give up his studies. Later, it was the movie that saved him and became a part of his life.
Guan Jiayong is better known to the outside world as Dan Kwan. He once said that he was unwilling to reveal his Asian identity in his works, but preferred to hide his true self behind the surname "Daniel".
But this time filming "The Instant Universe", he decided to expose himself more.
Michelle Yeoh once praised the two directors as brilliant geniuses, and thanked them for having the courage to write a very ordinary immigrant, elderly woman, mother, and daughter. It resonates so deeply because at the end of the day, no matter which universe she's in, she's fighting for love, for her family."
At the Oscars, Michelle Yeoh thanked the two directors again, "Without them, without the amazing cast and crew, without everyone who participated in "The Instant Universe", I would not be standing here tonight."
Text/Reporter Xiao Yang
"Beijing Youth Daily" March 14, 2023, page A08