Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were honored at the SAG Awards. The comedians of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” thus become the first Asian actors to win these awards.
The 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony was held yesterday in Los Angeles. In charge of rewarding the actors and actresses of the cinema and television of the past year, the American union of media professionals around the world awarded its prizes.
The Daniels’ film, Everything Everywhere All At Once is the big winner with 4 major awards. The film thus leaves with the statuettes of Best Collective Performance in a Film, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Ke Huy Quan and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Jamie Lee Curtis.
Pre-Oscars awards that reinforce the status of feature film favorites on the multiverse, but above all historical awards.
Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan become the first Asian actors to win Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor in SAG Awards history.
“We want to be seen and heard and tonight you showed us that it was possible”
During her acceptance speech, the actress on the verge of tears said: “I think if I speak, my heart will explode. To receive this award from people who understand what it took to get here is incredible. Each of you knows the journey, the roller coaster, the ups and downs that you can go through in this industry. The most important thing is to never give up. Thank you for your love and support.“
After a pause, Michelle Yeoh continues: “THANKS ! It’s not just for me, it’s for all the little girls who look like me. (…) Thank you for giving me a seat at the table. We want to be seen and heard and tonight you showed us that it was possible.”
A moving speech on the importance of on-screen representation warmly applauded by his peers, especially Cate Blanchett. The two actresses were both nominated in the category Best actress in a film and will once again face each other for the Oscar for best actress on March 12.
Oscars 2023: Everything Everywhere All at Once at the top of the nominations, Steven Spielberg, Top Gun and Avatar 2 in the race
For his part, comedian Ke Huy Quan, revealed in 1984 thanks to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, gave the most touching speech of the evening.
Not enough roles for Asian actors
In tears, the actor said: “This is a very moving moment for me. Recently, I was told that if I were to win tonight, I would become the very first Asian actor to win in this category. When I heard this, I quickly realized that this moment no longer belonged only to me, but also to all those who asked for a change.“
He adds : “I took a step back from acting because of the lack of opportunities for Asian actors. And now tonight we’re here to celebrate James HongMichelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Harry Shum Jr.. The landscape looks so different now. So thank you all for participating in this change.”
The latter then sent a personal message to his co-star Michelle Yeoh: “ Thanks Michelle. I am so happy. When we started our careers in 1984, we thought that one day we would meet on the big screen. It’s done.”
He concludes : “To all of you at home watching, struggling and waiting to be seen, keep moving because the spotlight will find you one day.“
For his part, Brendan Fraser received the SAG Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in The Whale by Darren Aronofsky and the award for Best Stunt Team in a Motion Picture was awarded to Top Gun: Maverick.