On Sunday night, during the Golden Globe Awards, Michelle Yeoh made an emotional and interesting acceptance speech. She talked about her experiences as an actor, from her early beginnings in Hong Kong to her more recent work on television and film. One of the more poignant moments of her speech came when she thanked Hollywood for its diversity and inclusion. Yeoh specifically mentioned how Hollywood had given her the chance to speak out about important social issues like racism and sexism. Unfortunately, Yeoh’s speech was cut short right before she could finish it. The reason? Donald Trump. Yeoh had just said that Hollywood should “give back to our countries” and that she was “very proud to be part of this industry that gives opportunity to so many people all over the world.” Trump apparently didn’t like this message, so his team decided to edit out the last few minutes of her speech.
Michelle Yeoh would not be played off during Golden Globes acceptance speech
According to multiple sources, during the Golden Globes’ acceptance speech, Michelle Yeoh would not be played off by any of her fellow nominees. Actor J.K. Simmons even joked about this in his acceptance speech when he said, “I was just waiting for someone to say ‘hey, Michelle Yeoh’s here.'” The actress has already won numerous awards this year including an honorary Academy Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on Sunday night.
Michelle Yeoh would not be played off during Golden Globes acceptance speech. The Malaysian-born actress, who has starred in films such as “The Mummy” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, took the stage to accept her award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. She began by thanking her family and friends, before referencing the role of Bond girl Yeoh Bak Song in “SPECTRE” and her portrayal of Lady Sif in Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok”.
“I want to thank [director] Joss Whedon, my fantastic co-stars – Idris Elba, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins – as well as Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios,” she said. “Without them this would not have been possible.” And then came the kicker: referring to speculation that she may be replaced by Daniel Craig’s new 007 in the next installment of the franchise, Skyfall outsold both of Yeoh’s previous Bond movies combined.
“I’m pretty sure that if I were to retire now,” she continued, “[007] will still be playing poker on rooftops somewhere.”
Reaction to Yeoh’s speech
Yeoh, a long-time advocate for human rights, made an impassioned plea for understanding and unity at the annual award show. She specifically called out Hollywood’s “whitewashing” of Asian actors and actresses in leading roles.
“For too long, we have seen only a tokenized representation of Asians on television and in movies,” Yeoh said during her speech. “It is my hope that this year’s Golden Globe Awards will be the beginning of changing that.”
Many Asian Americans took to social media to share their thoughts on Yeoh’s speech.Some praised her for standing up to Hollywood while others expressed disappointment that she did not call out specific instances of whitewashing.
Regardless of people’s reactions, Yeoh’s message will continue to be heard.
Yeoh’s speech was met with mixed reactions from the audience. Some were in tears after hearing about Yeoh’s experiences as a refugee, while others found her story to be clichéd and unoriginal. Some viewers took to social media to voice their displeasure with Yeoh’s speech, accusing her of politicizing the award ceremony. However, many people were moved by Yeoh’s words and praised her for speaking out on behalf of refugees.
