As the 95th Academy Awards ceremony takes place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12, Malaysians and many around the world are rooting for Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh.

The Ipoh-born actress is among five actresses who are in the running for the Actress in a Leading Role award for her role of Evelyn Quan Wang in the 2022 indie film “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.

In the same category, Yeoh is up against other nominees such as Cate Blanchett for her role in “Tár”, Ana de Armas ("Blonde"), Andrea Riseborough ("To Leslie"), and Michelle Williams ("The Fabelmans").

According to a New York Times article, the award would be a battle royale between Blanchett and Yeoh.

"Both women are so fabulous in what will almost certainly be their signature roles that I’m hoping for a deeply unlikely tie, but I do think the scales will tip toward Yeoh in the end: Blanchett already has two Oscars, and Yeoh’s first win would be historic in a category where no women of colour have won since Halle Berry over two decades ago," NYT's Kyle Buchanan wrote in his prediction piece.

"If voters want to give this telecast the sort of memorable, dream-come-true moment that will be referenced for years to come, they’ve got to pick Yeoh."

Aside from Yeoh's nomination, the movie, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Director (Kwan and Scheinert), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Editing, and Costume Design.

Yeoh has garnered numerous nominations and won awards in the past few months, including Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy award at the 80th Golden Globes, and Best Female Actor in a Leading Role award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2023.

In light of Yeoh's success, billboard provider Visual Retale recently ran ads on two large digital out-of-home LED screens in Jalan Bangsar and Jalan Puchong as a tribute to the 60-year-old actress.

The display has Yeoh's image on them, with the message - "The pride of Malaysia, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh".

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by BERNARD CHEAH

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