Michelle Yeoh has been making waves in Hollywood with her outstanding performances for several years now, putting her in the running for an Oscar. However, a recent Instagram post by Yeoh has sparked controversy and debate about the Academy's rules.
Her recent role in the highly acclaimed absurdist dramedy, Everything Everywhere All at Once has once again placed her in the spotlight, with many predicting that she could be a strong contender for Best Actress come Sunday evening.
The now-deleted post consisted of multiple images containing excerpts from a Vogue article that highlighted the Academy's failure to award the Best Actress award to a non-white nominee for over two decades. The crux of the controversy surrounding the post centered on a specific paragraph that mentioned Cate Blanchett, who was also nominated for her performance in "Tar."
Here's the full paragraph: Detractors would say that Blanchett's is the stronger performance—the acting veteran is, indisputably, incredible as the prolific conductor Lydia Tar—but it should be noted that she already has two Oscars (for best supporting actress for The Aviator in 2005, and best actress for Blue Jasmine in 2014). 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? Meanwhile, for Yeoh, an Oscar would be life-changing: her name would forever be preceded by the phrase "Academy Award winner," and it should result in her getting meatier parts, after a decade of being criminally underused in Hollywood. Cate Blanchett won Best Actress at the BAFTAs for her role in Tar.
