Michelle Yeoh Becomes Overwhelmed With Emotion During History-Making SAG Awards Acceptance Speech

The 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' star becomes the first Asian best actress film winner at 2023's SAG Awards.

Michelle Yeoh made history at last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards!

The actress, 60, has become the first Asian woman to win a SAG Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Before taking the stage for her emotional speech, the Everything Everywhere All at Once star hugged her costar, Jamie Lee Curtis, who earlier in the night embraced and kissed her when heading to accept her own SAG award.

“I think if I speak my heart will explode,” an emotional Yeoh said. “SAG- AFTRA, to get this from you, who understand what it is to get here… every one of you know the journey, the roller coaster ride, the ups and downs. But most importantly, we never give up."

She continued: "I thank you for your love, for your support, because I know I'm up against titans. Rightly so," she said while gesturing to the crowd before taking a second to take the moment in and gather herself.

"This is not just for me, this is for every little girl who looks like me," she said before giving a shoutout to actress Sally Field. "You said all the right things, because we are here because we love what we do, and we will never stop doing this because we really, really love it."

“Thank you for giving me a seat at the table because so many of us need this. We want to be seen. We want to be heard, and tonight you’ve shown us that it is possible,” she said before closing out her speech. “I’m grateful and my mom will be eternally grateful to all of you.”

Yeoh has also become the second Asian woman to win a film acting prize, following Yuh Jung Youn's win for supporting actress for her performance in Minari in 2020.

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Several other Asian winners have come from television categories including two-time winner Sandra Oh for her performance in Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve, and Lee Hung-jae and Hoyeon Jung for Squid Game at last year's ceremony.

Now, Yeoh is gearing up for the Oscars, where she is the second Asian to be nominated for best actress since Merle Oberon for her performance in The Dark Angel in 1935, according to Variety. 

The Oscars are set to air Sunday, March 12 at 8 PM.

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