“Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Michelle Yeoh took home the award for best female actor in a leading role at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night, making her the first woman of Asian descent to win the individual acting honor.
“I think if I speak, my heart will explode,” Yeoh said in her speech.
“SAG-AFTRA, to get this from you, who understands what it is to get here. Every one of you knows the journey, the roller-coaster ride, the ups and downs. But most importantly, we never give up. I thank you,” she added.
As she tries to hold back her tears, she continued to thank everyone that supported her in her journey.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is not just for me, this is for every single girl that looks like me,” Yeoh said.
She proceeded to shout out Sally Field, this year’s Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award winner, and said, “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. But 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 have shown us that it is possible, and I am grateful and my mom will be eternally grateful to you.”
Other nominees in the category include Cate Blanchett for “Tár”, Viola Davis for “The Woman King”, Ana de Armas for “Blonde”, and Danielle Deadwyler for “Till”.