MOVIE SWEEPS OSCARS
By Keira Llanes
What Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Oscar Sweep Means for Asian Representation
At this year’s Oscars, Everything Everywhere All At Once made history as the film became one of the most awarded films of all time. The film was nominated for a total of eleven Oscar nominations and received seven wins. For the film, Ke Huy Quan won his first Academy award as Best Supporting Actor. This marks Quan as only the second Asian actor in a supporting role to win an Oscar, with Haing S. Ngor winning the award for The Killing Fields in 1985. Previously, Quan has mentioned that after Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, he had a difficult time booking roles. He feared that his filmography would be immortalized by the two roles he played as a child; as an older Asian actor, he has cited that his roles have been limited. Michelle Yeoh’s legacy was finally acknowledged as well when she won Best Actress; she was the first Asian woman to win the award, and the second woman of color to ever receive it. Many have also pointed out the cultural significance of Halle Berry presenting the award to Yeoh, since she was the first Black woman receive the award in 2002 for her role in Monster Ball. For Yeoh, being a household name in Hong Kong and an acclaimed actress here in the United States, her award has been long overdue. So why has the Academy taken so long to recognize Asians in the entertainment industry? One of the reasons could be Hollywood’s long history of racism against Asians in the media. At the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, veteran actor James Hong, who also starred in the Everything Everywhere, addressed Hollywood’s frequent use of yellowface in the cast’s award acceptance speech; he specifically mentioned his 1937 film The Good Earth, starring Clark Gable, where the film starred several white actors playing Asian characters. At 94 years old, Hong himself is older than both the Oscars and the SAG awards, which goes to show just how far these award ceremonies have went without recognizing Asians |
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