I Want an Oscar, Wink-Wink Michelle Yeoh

On Tuesday, Malaysian actor Michelle Yeoh hastily scrubbed her Instagram account which highlighted the potential “life-changing” outcome of her becoming the first-ever Asian woman to win a best actress Oscar for her performance in the absurdist comedy-drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. 

 

In the hours before Oscar voting closed, Yeoh had shared and subsequently deleted nine screengrabs from a Radhika Seth article in Vogue headlined “It’s Been Over Two Decades Since We’ve Had a Non-White Best Actress Winner. Will That Change in 2023?” 

 

The story highlighted the historical lack of diversity in the category, and Yeoh's history making SAG win, becoming the first Asian woman to take home best actress statue and only the third woman of color to ever win, after Halle Berry for "Monster’s Ball" in 2002, and Viola Davis for "The Help" in 2012 and Ma Rainey’s "Black Bottom" in 2021. And Berry remains the only non-white lead actress Oscar winner for her work in "Monster's Ball". 

  

Yeoh's expunged post had mischievously pondered whether her stiffest competition, Cate Blanchett, really needs to win a third career Oscar for “Tár”: “Detractors would say that Blanchett’s is the stronger performance – the acting veteran is, indisputably, incredible as the prolific conductor Lydia Tár – but it should be noted that she already has two Oscars. A third would perhaps confirm her status as an industry titan but, considering her expansive and unparalleled body of work, are we still in need of yet more confirmation?” 

 

Yeoh and Blanchett are considered the front-runners in this year’s still too-close-to-call Best-Actress race, with Blanchett taking home top honors at the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTAs and Yeoh triumphing at the SAG Awards and the Indie Spirit Awards. 

 

As Yeoh had painstakingly pointed out, Blanchett already has two Oscars under her belt: a best-supporting-actress for “The Aviator” in 2005 and best actress for “Blue Jasmine” in 2014. 

 

For me, whoever is deserving should get the honor. A simple choice, really.

 

Regrettably, Yeoh used her ethnicity, her Asian-ness to try and secure an Oscar win. In fact, according to the AV Club, she had quoted from her own 2023 SAG Awards acceptance speech in her caption, writing, “This is not just for me, this is for every little girl that looks like me” and “We want to be seen, we want to be heard”. 

 

Yeoh has shown her well-manicured hand. And she is unable to disguise her desperation. She so badly wants the Oscar. 

 

Anyway, we'll know who's the winner on Sunday, March 12, 2023 (Monday in Malaysia) that is happening at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, USA! My bet is on Cate Blanchett!