The Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role has been awarded toMichelle Yeohfor her performance inEverything Everywhere All At Once, as just announced at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The award winner was presented with the famous gold statuette at the 95th Academy Awards.
Last year sawJessica Chastaintake home the Oscar for her portrayal ofTammy Faye BakkerinThe Eyes of Tammy Faye, beating out her competition in the form ofOlivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Nicole KidmanandKristen Stewart.
Yeoh, the legendary Malaysian actress, had received her first Oscar nomination for her role in the Best Picture front-runnerEverything Everywhere All At Onceas Evelyn Wang, a dissatisfied laundromat owner who finds herself battling across the multiverse attempting to stop the collapse of humanity - while being audited by the I.R.S. She recently appeared in the mainstream blockbustersCrazy Rich AsiansandShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.She will appear in next year’sAvatar 3, the sequel to the highest-grossing and third-highest grossing movies of all time.
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The Nominees
Michelle Yeohhad earned her first nomination for her role in the Best Picture front-runnerEverything Everywhere All At Onceas Evelyn Wang, whileCate Blanchettwas nominated for her titular performance inTÀRas Lydia Tár, a fictional renowned conductor.Ana De Armaswas also rewarded for the commitment she showed in embodying the legendaryMarilyn Monroein Netflix’sBlonde,whileMichelle Williams,an Academy favourite, picked up another nod for her role inSteven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographyThe Fabelmans.Andrea Riseboroughcompleted the line-up for her performance inTo Leslie, a little seen indie film that had picked up buzz - and was the subject of both scrutiny, praise and controversysurrounding the legitimacy of the tacticsused to secure the nod.
Everything Everywhere All at Oncecame into the evening as the favourite and front-runner. With 11 nominations, the movie shows up in more categories than any other nominee this year, whileAll Quiet on the Western Front-the German-language film from Netflix - andThe Banshees of Inisherinfollowed with 9 nominations each.
The return of audiences to movie theatres following the pandemic was also acknowledged, with two films -Avatar: The Way of WaterandTop Gun: Maverick- both being nominated for Best Picture, having earned over $1 billion each at the worldwide box office, marking the first time two films to pass that milestone had earned nominations.
