Michelle Yeoh is a Golden Globe Award winner. On Tuesday, the beloved actress accepted the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and shared a touching speech about the impact of her win for the role of Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
“I’m holding onto this,” Yeoh said as she held up her trophy. “It’s been an amazing journey and incredible fight to be here today. But I think it’s been worth it.”
“I remember when I first came to Hollywood, it was a dream come true until I got here,” Yeoh said as the crowd laughed. “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!’ … And then I said, ‘Yeah, the flight here was about 13 hours long so I learned.’”
Yeoh was applauded for her lengthy career as she celebrated turning 60 in the last year, and addressed how as she ages, the number of acting opportunities has dwindled for her.
“It probably was at a time when I thought, ‘Hey, come on, girl. You had a really, really good run. You worked with some of the best people… And so it’s good. It’s all good.’ Then along came the best gift: Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Yeoh said, before the pianist started cuing her to end her speech: “Shut up please! I can beat you up.”
Thanking her cast, A24, and her “hot dog lover” Jamie Lee Curtis, Yeoh ended her speech: “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 university she was at, she was just fighting for love for her family.”
Yeoh was nominated for the award alongside Babylon‘s Margot Robbie, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ Lesley Manville, The Menu‘s Anya Taylor-Joy, and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande‘s Emma Thompson.
