Forty years. That’s how long Michelle Yeoh has been working as an actor in Hollywood. On Tuesday night, the 60-year old star of Everything Everywhere All At Once began her acceptance speech when she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, telling the audience at the 2023 Golden Globes: “I’m just gonna stand here and take this all in.”
“It’s been an amazing journey and incredible fight to be here today, but I think it’s been worth it.”
It’s been 26-years since Hollywood witnessed Yeoh’s mesmerising power and charm when she starred as a Bond girl alongside Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Yeoh used her speech on Tuesday night to address the racism she faced when she first arrived in the U.S.
“I remember when I first came to Hollywood; it was a dream come true until I got here, because look at this face,” she said.
“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!’”
Yeoh, who is also known for her roles in critically acclaimed blockbusters including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Crazy Rich Asians, Memoirs of a Geisha and The Lady, also talked about agisem and its consequences for women in Hollywood.
“I turned 60 last year, and I think all of you women understand this, as the days, the years, and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well.”
She thanked a handful of directors who she called “the best people” — Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, and Danny Boyle”, before pointing to the movie that gave her “the best gift”.
She called the two directors of Everything Everywhere All At Once: “Two goofy, insanely smart, wonderful geniuses, the Daniels, who had the courage to write about a very ordinary, immigrant, Asian woman, mother, daughter, who was trying to do her audit.”
“I was given this gift of playing this woman who resonated so deeply with me and with so many people.”
After the ceremony, Yeoh told reporters at a press conference she believed times are changing.
“There’s much more inclusivity. There’s more diversity. It’s not lip service anymore. Whatever that glass ceiling was – just ninja kick it out, you know?”
“We shattered it, and we need to keep it that way. We are on the cusp of big change.”
She offered some advice too, for anyone who has a dream.
“If you believe in yourself, if you believe and you have passion for what you do – you don’t give up,” she said.
Yeoh’s speech preceded The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge’s win for Best Supporting actress in a limited series.
Coolidge, 61, also addressed ageism and its consequences in her acceptance speech.
“I just want to say I had such big dreams and expectations as a younger person but they get sort of fizzled by life…I had these giant ideas but then you get older,” she said, before thanking The White Lotus creator Mike White in a touching tribute.
“I just want to say Mike White you’ve given me hope. You really changed my life in a million different ways…you make people want to live longer and I didn’t.”