Michelle Yeoh made history with her first Oscar nomination on Tuesday.
The actress, who is being recognized for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in the much-talked about film “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, is the first self-identifying Asian actress to be nominated in the Best Actress category, Deadline reported.
Merle Oberon had been nominated back in 1939 for “The Dark Angel”, the publication pointed out, but her heritage was concealed.
READ MORE: Michelle Yeoh And Ke Huy Quan Earn First Oscar Noms For ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
Yeoh told Deadline after the Oscar nom news was announced: “I think what it means to me is all those Asians out there go, ‘You see, it’s possible. If she can do it, I can freaking well do it as well.’ That is the most important thing.
“I’m very ordinary. I just work very hard. There are so many brilliant actresses, actors out there who know that they have a seat at the table. All they have to do is find an opportunity and get there.”
According to Variety, this year marks the highest number of Asian nominees to have been recognized by the Academy in its history.
READ MORE: 2023 Oscar Nominations: See The Full List
Actors including Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, as well as Hong Chau for her role in “The Whale” are all up for noms.
The website stated that Yeoh, 60, is the second oldest Asian acting nominee, behind Yuh-Jung Youn, who was 73 when she nabbed a nom, and won, in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in 2020’s “Minari”.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” was also nominated for several other awards at the 2023 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
The 95th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on March 12.
