Make no mistake, 2022 is the year where actor Michelle Yeoh was everywhere, and thanks to her film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, people are taking notice. And by people, we mean TIME Magazine, who just named the actress Icon of the Year 2022. The Everything Everywhere All at Once star began her 40-year acting career in Hong Kong and has been a staple in action films long before transitioning to Hollywood.
“I do look at all my peers – Cate Blanchett, Olivia Colman, Helen Mirren – and go, ‘Oh God, I envy all the different opportunities you get to showcase your talent again and again,” Yeoh said in an article by the Los Angeles Times. “When you get an opportunity like this, you have to pour your heart and soul into it, because you don’t know when the next chance is. I think that is my biggest fear: please don’t let this be the one and only.”
There has been much chatter about the possibility of an Oscar nomination, and Yeoh said she feels the gravity of what that could mean. This would make her the first Asian woman to win the coveted lead actress award. “I’ve thought about it,” said Yeoh to Time. “And not just me – I feel like my full Asian community has thought about it. They come up to me and they say, ‘You’re doing it for us.'”
Although the nominations won’t be announced soon, Yeoh has received other accolades in 2022, including an honorary doctorate from the American Film Institute and the Groundbreaker Award during the Toronto International Film Festival. Everything Everywhere All at Once also received eight Independent Spirit Award nominations.
