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Asians win big at Golden Globes

by Joyce Remo

ASIAN talents shone at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. 

THE 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film Everything Everywhere All At Once lead stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan snatched two awards at the 2023 Golden Globes Awards on Wednesday, January 11.

The Philippines’ Dolly de Leon, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Triangle of Sadness, didn’t make it. De Leon lost to Angela Bassett who starred in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but nevertheless left her countrymen proud. 

 Malaysian actress Yeoh, formerly credited as Michelle Khan, earned the “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy” for her impeccable performance as Evelyn Quan Wang in the worldwide box-office hit.

Meanwhile, Ke Huy Quan, also known as Jonathan Ke Quan, won the “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture” award for his portrayal of Waymond Wang.

The film Everything Everywhere All At Once circles on the story of an Asian laundromat owner who contributed to saving multiple universes from a version of her daughter by splintering her mind to travel across universes and becoming one in consciousness with her doppelgangers. 

Still from Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

The movie landed in theaters in March 2022 and has generated $68.9 million in the United States and another $31.1 million internationally, with its global ticket sales equalling to $100 million.

Michelle Yeoh

“I’m just gonna stand here and take this all in. 40 years. Not letting go of this,” Yeoh said while holding her Golden Globes trophy.

In her acceptance speech, she recalled her Hollywood experience and how Everything Everywhere All At Once became the “best gift” for her 60th birthday.

“As time went by — I turned 60 last year — and I think all of you women understand this, as the days, years, numbers get bigger, the opportunities get smaller, as well. Then along came the best gift: Everything Everywhere All At Once,” the actress said.

The veteran actress also mentioned that Everything Everywhere All At Once pays homage to Asian women who “became invisible” as they faced the dilemmas that accompanied their journey towards reaching their “American dreams.”

“This movie for me was such an homage to so many women like that around us who are sometimes invisible, who we take for granted,” Yeoh said. “There’s so many relatable things, and all because they were chasing the American dream.”

Since 1985, Yeoh has been gaining fame for her outstanding performances in her early Hong Kong action films where she did her own stunts including Yes, Madam (1985), Police Story 3: Supercop (1992), and Holy Weapon (1993).

Yeoh made a name for herself internationally for her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which gave her a BAFTA Best Actress nomination.

Still from Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Ke Huy Quan

Vietnam-born American actor and stunt choreographer Ke Huy Quan started his acting career in the 1984 blockbuster film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom directed by Steven Spielberg.

After his role as Indy’s sidekick Short Round, and his second film, the ’80s classic The Goonies, Quan’s career soon waned, forcing him to exit the Hollywood limelight.

More than 30 years later, he came back with a supporting role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which he said was a chance to “try again.”

“I started to wonder if that was it,” he said emotionally. “For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer, that no matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid. Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid. And they gave me an opportunity to try again.”

After the success of this comedy-drama film, Quan is set to star in the next Marvel series Loki with Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson.

Still from Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Banner courtesy: The Golden Globes

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