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Historic victory on Oscar night

Michelle Yeoh to women: "Don't let anyone tell you you've been through your moment.

First Asian woman to win Best Actress in a Leading Role

13/03/2023

Michelle Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" breaking another glass ceiling in Hollywood: she is the first Asian woman to win in this category.

The Malaysian actress, 60, in her first Oscar nomination, was considered the favorite for the award, after winning the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globe.

"For all the boys and girls who are watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibility. It's proof that dreams dream big and dreams come true," Yeoh said as she accepted the award. "And sir, don't let anyone tell you that you've passed your best moment."

For many observers, it was a direct jab at CNN host Don Lemon who sparked controversy last month for his remarks about Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and Republican primary candidate, Donald Trump's first challenger.

The journalist, referring to the idea of implementing 'cognitive proficiency tests' for political leaders over the age of 75, said: "Nikki Haley is not in the prime of life, sorry. A woman is considered in her primes at 20, 30 and maybe 40." A joke that sparked a reaction from the public on social media including Haley's response on Twitter: "To be clear, I'm NOT asking for proficiency tests for CNN's middle-aged sexist hosts; only for people who make our laws and are over 75 years old."

Yeoh began acting in Hong Kong action movies in the 90s and conquered Hollywood in 1997 when she was cast as a Bond girl in "Tomorrow Never Dies" alongside Pierce Brosnan and then with Ang Lee's "The Tiger and the Dragon" in 2000 and Rob Marshall's "Memoirs of a Geisha" in 2005.