Time Magazine dedicates 2022 Icon of the Year to Michelle Yeoh
SYDI ALIF08 Dec 2022 05:21pm
Michelle Yeoh on Time magazine cover as Icon of the Year 2022 - michelleyeoh-official Instagram
The multi-talented 60-year-old had also earlier this year made her way to the magazine’s trademark list, Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022.
Her recent role on the big screen in Everything Everywhere All at Once which hit theatres last March became the highlight of the remarkable recognition.
The particular performance had raised eyebrows and raked in claims that she might just be propelled for nomination at the Oscar which she had thought about taking home as the best actress according to Time.
The movie star who made it in Hollywood all the way from her birth city of Ipoh had got her kick start in the show biz by famously doing her own stunts in Hong Kong’s action-packed blockbusters alongside the no-introduction-needed Jackie Chan since the 80s.
As she welcomed marriage into life along with plans to have children plus a number of existing injuries on set, the former Miss World Malaysia was ready to call it quits in the late 90s.
However, when American film director Quentin Tarantino paid her a visit while promoting Pulp Fiction, geeking out Yeoh’s action sequences, she retracted from her future plan to settle down outside and away from the limelight back into the glamorous industry.
1997 marked the beginning of her journey of winning over American audiences with a life-changing role opposite Pierce Brosnan in James Bond’s Tomorrow Never Ends.
The fabulous fame only kept flashing fancier as she continued to star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and Kung Fu Panda 2 which then led to recent roles in Marvel pictures as well as... you guessed it; Crazy Rich Asians!
Believe it or not, Hollywood only recognised Yeoh as a top-billed actor reflected by her ability to exceed white audiences’ expectations of Asian performers last year.
She explicitly recalled with Time how she had to “battle” Hollywood which would offer her stereotypical or insignificant Asian parts due to her racial background which she insisted should not have been the case.
In regards to her widely dynamic role as Evelyn Quan Wang, a universe-travelling owner of a struggling laundromat, she got inevitably tearful in a viral GQ interview as it was something that she had been anticipating for ages in order to serve movie-goers what they had never seen before; what she is truly capable of.
On the other hand, she also acknowledged to The Times that taking on the iconic character was undeniably a risky step since the humour-packed film and the character itself is a completely different direction down the road compared to her previous roles which obviously did not have as much of such element.
Time reported despite a generous amount of praise, she revealed that she still envies fellow actors namely Cate Blanchett, Olivia Colman, and Helen Mirren who would endlessly get numerous opportunities to showcase their talent unlike her who have no idea if another chance like Evelyn would ever show up again that she gave her all the last time she had a shot.
As of now, as The Star had put it, will Michelle have a shot... for an Oscar?
