Michelle Yeoh makes history as the first Asian to win Best Actress at 2023 SAG Awards

Michelle Yeoh makes history as the first Asian to win Best Actress at 2023 SAG Awards

Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh scripted history at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on 26 February by becoming the first Asian woman to win the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. The win came for her stellar performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

It follows her 2023 Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy and her first Oscar nomination.

What did Michelle Yeoh say after winning the SAG Award?

The 60-year-old Yeoh was welcomed to the stage by Jeff Bridges to receive the honour.

“SAG-AFTRA, to get this from you, who understands what it is to get here, everyone of you know the journey, the roller-coaster ride, the ups sand downs,” Yeoh said while accepting the award. “But important, we never give up. I thank you for your love, for your support because I know I’m up against titans, rightly so.”

“This is not just for me. This is for every little girl that looks like me. Sally Field, you said all the right things. We’re here because we love what we do and we’ll never stop doing this because we really, really love it,” she added, after a brief emotional pause.

Thank you for giving me a seat at the table because so many of us need this. We want to be seen, we want to be heard. And tonight, you have shown us that it is possible, and I am grateful,” she continued.

Grab your tissues and prepare to be moved by the ICONIC Michelle Yeoh! #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/ZPHoOkHb7u

— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) February 27, 2023

The actress concluded by saying that her mom would be “eternally grateful” for her win.

Everything Everywhere All at Once sweeps 2023 SAG Awards

Yeoh had competition in her category from Ana de Armas (Blonde), Cate Blanchett (Tár), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), and Viola Davis (The Woman King).

Everything Everywhere All at Once earned five nominations in four categories, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu earning nods for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. The film eventually ended 2023 SAG awards by winning in all four categories it had nominees in.

An awesome moment where his fellow cast-mates honored him, and deservedly so. Give it up for the titan that is James Hong! #SAGAwards2023 #EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce #JamesHong pic.twitter.com/RWAzJmXqUI

— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) February 27, 2023

Yeoh’s co-star, Ke Huy Quan became the first first Asian male to win a acting award in the film segment of SAG since its inception in 1994. He is also the second Asian actor to win any individual SAG prize (in film or television) after Lee Jung-jae, who won for male actor in a drama series for Squid Game.

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film follows a Chinese-American immigrant named Evelyn Wang (Yeoh), who is drawn into an inter-dimensional adventure to save the multiverse from a powerful being.

The 2023 SAG Awards ceremony was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, California, the US. It was streamed live on Netflix’s official YouTube channel.

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong

(Main and Featured images: Frederic J. Brown/AFP)