Michelle Yeoh becomes first Asian best actress at Oscars

The indie hit Everything Everywhere All At Once bagged multiple awards over the weekend at the 95th Annual Oscars Awards. A major night for Asian and Asian American representation, the metaphysical multiverse comedy won seven awards including Hollywood’s top prize for Best Picture. And while Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis, didn't go home empty-handed, the spotlight was on Michelle Yeoh, who made history by becoming the first Asian to win the best actress Oscar.

In the film, the star plays a beleaguered wife, mother and laundromat owner whose life is turned upside down when she is thrown into multiple parallel universes.

Having made a name for herself after claiming a Screen Actors Guild honour and a Golden Globe award for the role, this is the first time in Oscars' history that an Asian actor has won in this category.

In her acceptance speech, she mentioned, "For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams… Dream big. And dreams do come true." She also added, "And ladies, don't let anybody tell you [that] you are ever past your prime. Never give up."

The 60-year-old actress first dipped her toes into acting in Hong Kong action movies in the 1990s. A few years later, the actress made her breakthrough in Hollywood when she was cast as a Chinese Bond girl in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, alongside Pierce Brosnan.

Ever since, the actress was also featured in other well-known films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Memoirs Of A Geisha and Crazy Rich Asians.