DESPITE living abroad, international actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh expresses her pride in Malaysia, her country of birth, which had a significant part in shaping her into the person she is today.
The Ipoh-born star said Malaysia is a country with many different races and cultures, which makes it unique.
“We have learnt to live with and embrace each other’s culture.
That has made me an international global person … so everywhere I go, I don’t see the differences.
“Instead, I see how I could learn from other people because when we are here, we learn how to learn from our Malay, Indian and Chinese friends,” she said at her first press conference in Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur recently, since her historic Oscar win last month. The 61-year-old Academy Award-winning actress is overjoyed to be back home since she can again enjoy some of her favourite Malaysian food that she has been missing.
“It is nice to be back in Malaysia. I already had my nasi lemak, curry mee, nga choy kai and (char) hor fun since I returned home. That’s why I look so fat (putting on weight),” she said.
Yeoh, whose career began in Hong Kong before she rose to fame in Hollywood, said she is considering taking on new challenges in her career, such as becoming a producer, but reiterated that she has no interest in directing. “Directors have no life. I love my life too much.
I love producing. I have produced before and now I can start to do so again … now I can branch out more because people have started to listen and appreciate what you can bring forward.
“As an actor, I love what I can do. I am so lucky to be able to say it’s not a job, it is a passion. I am always looking for a challenge,” she said.
Last Thursday, Yeoh called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at his office in Putrajaya. Anwar said that during the meeting, Yeoh shared and reminisced about the ups and downs of her life’s journey, especially how she achieved the highest accolade in show business.
“She also shared that winning the Oscar was very meaningful to her, her family and the people of Malaysia,” he posted on Facebook recently.
The Prime Minister also uploaded photographs of the meeting, where Yeoh can be seen holding the trophy she won after winning the Best Actress award at the 95th Academy Awards.
Anwar described Yeoh’s achievement in becoming the first Malaysian and first actress of Asian descent to win the prestigious award as having made the country famous on the international stage and expressed hope that Yeoh will continue to succeed. Yeoh made history last month after becoming the first Malaysian and Asian to win the Best Actress award at the 95th Academy Awards.
She was honoured with the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ at Hollywood’s most prestigious award ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
In addition to the Oscars, Yeoh also won in the same category at several other events, including the 80th Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. – BERNAMA
