An old National Geographic photoshoot of Michelle Yeoh has been making the rounds online in the lead up to the 95th Oscars on Sunday. Shot in 1997, a young Yeoh soars over the Hollywood sign in a silver dress and heels, somehow managing to pose gracefully in the air. As the woman who might make history by becoming the first Asian American woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress, it seems likely that Yeoh feels that way right now: floating in a magical moment that, with the right stroke of luck, might just become reality.
Following her performance as Evelyn Wang in A24’s action-packed, multiverse comedy drama Everything Everywhere All At Once, Yeoh has been nabbing awards left and right this awards season, many of them marking “firsts” for Asian American actors. When she won Best Female Actor in a Leading role at the SAG Awards last month, she was keenly aware of the weight that her win held: “I thank you for your love, for your support, because I know I am up against titans,” she said during her speech in a flurry of emotion. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is not just for me, this is for every single girl that looks like me.” [[Insert Leo DiCaprio pointing at the TV, except it’s me, sobbing, pointing at my celebrity mother.]]
And she’s right: There’s no denying what a big deal Yeoh’s Oscar nomination is to the Asian American community. Her nomination alone marks the first time an Asian American woman has been up for this award in over 85 years. Merle Oberon was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in The Dark Angel in 1936; she lost to Bette Davis for her role in Dangerous. But even with nominations aside, the very existence of EEAAO stands testament to how far Hollywood has come since then (but obviously, not far enough!): Oberon, who was white-passing, was never open about being of Asian descent, which probably helped her reach such prominence in the first place. EEAAO, in contrast, couldn’t…
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