Under the lights of the Dolby Theatre, Michelle Yeoh claimed her place in history, her voice steady yet filled with emotion as she accepted the Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once-a moment that celebrated resilience, representation, and the boundless reach of storytelling.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech. “This is proof that dreams come true. And ladies…never let anybody tell you that you are past your prime.”
Yeoh’s win makes Everything Everywhere All at Once only the third movie in Oscars history to win three out of the four major acting awards – the previous being Sidney Lumet’s Network and Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire. The win is even more historic for the Academy, as it is the first time an Asian actress won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
It was a long time coming. With a nearly 40-year career in film, Yeoh began as a Hong Kong action star in the ’90s working with Jackie Chan in international hits like Super Cop (A.K.A. Police Story 3) before leaping to Hollywood film as Chinese spy Wai Lin in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
As a gifted performer that known for both her dramatic work as well as her stunt prowess in martial arts films, Yeoh would continue to star in films both from Hollywood and abroad, her profile slowly rising until the runaway success of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, where Yeoh played family matriarch and primary antagonist Eleanor Young.
What other awards did Everything Everywhere All at Once win at the 2023 Oscars
Everything Everywhere All at Once dominated the 2023 Oscars, winning seven awards in total besides Michelle Yeoh’s Best Actress.
Full List of Wins
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Best Picture: Producers Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang.
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Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka Daniels).
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Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan.
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Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis.
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Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
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Best Film Editing: Paul Rogers.
Key Achievements
The film swept six of the eight major “above-the-line” categories and marked the first to win three acting Oscars alongside Best Picture. It was a historic night for A24, securing all four acting wins across their films.
How many Oscar nominations did Everything Everywhere All at Once receive
Everything Everywhere All at Once received 11 Oscar nominations at the 2023 Academy Awards (the 95th ceremony).
Breakdown by Category
It led all films with nominations in these areas: Best Picture, Best Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song (“This Is a Life”), and Best Costume Design.
The film won 7 of those, missing out on score, song, costume design, and one Supporting Actress slot.
Significance
This tied it for the most nominations that year, topping films like All Quiet on the Western Front (9 nods).
