ST PAUL, Minn. — While it's been nearly 40 years since an Asian actor took home the Oscar for a best supporting role, Asian women would have to wait almost a century to win for best actress — a feat Michelle Yeoh accomplished Sunday night, becoming the first Asian actress in the show's history to do so.
This news brings with it a lot of emotion to the Asian American arts community.
"I made it a priority to watch last night," Theater Mu's artistic director Lily Tung Crystal said.
She explained that the Oscars have been a part of her life since she was very little.
"I had huge dreams of being an actor," she said. "And I watched the Oscars religiously since I was 5."
Despite a rude awakening Tung Crystal had in high school of the lack of Asian representation when it came to Oscar recipients, she said she kept with it. She always made it a point to have the awards show be a big part of her life.
"As an adult, I had Oscar parties year after year, even though I knew that the Oscars weren't for someone who looked like me," Tung Crystal said. "And it felt very hopeless during those years. So I made it a priority to watch last night because I realized that for nearly 50 years, I waited for this moment for an Asian woman to win this award."
Now that Michelle Yeoh has made history, Tung Crystal said the emotions she's been feeling are complicated, knowing many other Asian actors have been forgotten or were never given the opportunity.
"There's so much sadness and grief in that, that comes along with the joy that it finally happened," she said. "That someone who looks like us was recognized on Hollywood's biggest stage — the fact that Michelle Yeoh said that, 'This is for all the boys and girls who look like me,' it's hugely powerful because I was one of those girls who didn't think I could have a career in the arts."
"While this is a huge win, it's just one signpost in a series of many signposts that I look forward to in the future," Tung Crystal added.
Theater Mu is the second-largest Asian American theater organization in the nation. Its mission is to uplift Asian American actors in the arts and fight for representation within the industry.
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