Michelle Yeoh, who made history by winning the best actress Oscar for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” last month, made an emotional return trip to her native Malaysia last week.
She visited her mother in time for the traditional Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, and stopped by the grave of her father who died in 2014. In an Instagram post on Wednesday she said, “Brought Mr. O home. Without my parents’ love and trust and support, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Her trip home represented a promise that Yeoh made during her Oscars acceptance speech.
“I have to dedicate this to my mom, all the moms in the world, because they are really the superheroes. And without them, none of us will be here tonight. She’s 84 and I’m taking this home to her,” she said on the stage.
Yeoh’s stunning career resurgence over recent years, culminating in the Oscars win, has been widely celebrated across Asia. Malaysia, Hong Kong and mainland China all appeared at times to take credit for launching her, including Asian women in particular. She became the first Asian woman in history to win the best actress Oscar.
The actor is now touring East Asia. She is scheduled as a presenter at the Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday, the city where she made most of her early films including “Super Cop,” “Police Story 3,” “The Soong Sisters,” the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” and Ang Lee’s breakout martial arts action drama “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
This month’s Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival in Japan (April 20-28) has also revealed that Yeoh will be its guest of honor and special advisor.