Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan make history as they win Golden Globes


SCREEN CAPTURE / ABC
Michelle Yeoh wins a Golden Globe in the best actress in a comedy category.


Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan basked in their historic moments as they won best actress and best supporting actor awards, respectively, for their roles in the Everything Everywhere All At Once motion picture.

Quan is the first Asian artist to win a Golden Globe in his supporting role category. Yeoh is only the second Asian artist to win a Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy. The first winner in the same category was Awkwafina for The Farewell.

As she accepted her award, Malaysian-born Yeoh said "I'm just going to stand here and take this all in." Looking over the audience and clucthing her trophy  tightly in both hands. "Forty years, not letting go of this," referring to her 40-year career which began in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

"I remember when I first came to Hollywood, it was a dream come true until I got here," she continued. "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.' And then I said, 'Yeah, the flight here was about 13 hours long, so I learned on the way.'"

When she was given a musical cue to end her speech, Yeoh, known for her martial arts movies, told the pianist, "Shut up. I can beat you up." She continued to thank her castmates and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who jointly wrote the script and directed the movie.

"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 said, noting that she had even told herself she'd "had a really, really good run" and so "it's all good" -- until Everything Everywhere All at Once, which she called "the best gift," came along. 
In the film, Yeoh plays an immigrant mother involved in an epic adventure through a multitude of universes.


SCREEN CAPTURE
Ke Huy Quan kissed his Golden Globe trophy as he was named Best Supporting Actor
in a musical or comedy.

Quan, who played Yeoh's beleaguered husband in the movie, gave an acceptance speech that was perhaps the most sincerest speech of the night.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when he accepted his award. “I was raised to never forget where I came from and to always remember who gave me my first opportunity. I am so happy to see Steven Spielberg here tonight. Steven, thank you,” Quan said, acknowledging the role that gave him his start as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, directed by Spielberg.

“As I grew older, I started to wonder if that was it, if that was just luck,” he added. “For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer. No matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid.” Clearly, that didn’t turn out to be true, and Quan went onto thank Kwan and Daniel, the directors of the science fiction hit, for casting him as Waymond. 

“More than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid and they gave me an opportunity to try again,” he said, choking with emotion. “Everything that has happened since has been unbelievable.”

Finally, Quan thanked “the most important person in (his) life,” his wife, "who never lost faith in me."

RRR, the 3-hour film from India, won a Globe for Best Song but failed to win Best Foreign Film, which was given to 1985 Argentina.

Dolly de Leon, the actress from the Philippines, did not win in Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, was considered a dark horse for her role in Triangle of Sadness and drew the attention of Hollywood studios as her role as a cleaning lady on a luxury yacht. 

Maybe one day we can write about a Hollywood awards show and not use the word "historic." Maybe, one day. But not today.

CORRECTION: 10 a.m., Jan. 11. Earlier versions incorrectly identified Michelle Yeoh as the first Asian actress to win best actress in a musical or comedy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.


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