‘Everything Everywhere At Once’ Star Michelle Yeoh On Andrea Riseborough Controversy: ‘If It Was That Easy It Would Have Happened Sooner’

“If it was that easy, we would have done it sooner” Everything, everywhere, all at once Star Michelle Yeoh opened up about the Andrea Riseborough Oscars controversy this morning.

Asked about the last-minute campaign that nominated Riseborough for $27,000 gross to LesieYeoh dismissed any notion that this would have bent the Academy’s rules.

“The academy has always prided itself on having rules and obeying the rules [cheating them] was as easy as it used to be,” Yeoh told the BBC Today Program. “We are constantly developing ways to protect our integrity and I am confident that we will continue to do so.”

The Academy investigated Riseborough’s Oscar nomination, which followed what some saw as an aggressive campaign by fellow nominee Cate Blanchett, but refused to withdraw.

There was criticism from some quarters that her nomination was at the expense of the black actress Viola Davis (the queen king) and Danielle Deadwyler (To) but Yeoh, the first Asian American to be nominated for best actress, emphasized how difficult it is to get there easily.

“I am in love [Viola and Danielle] to the point and wish we all got Oscars, but it’s hard,” she added. “It took me 40 years to even get a nomination. Every actor and actress puts their heart and soul into these films and you don’t necessarily think you’re going to be nominated. The stories we want to tell are more important.”

Along with Blanchett, Yeoh is considered one of the frontrunners for best actress after starring as Evelyn Wong in the versatile thriller Daniel’s A24, which grossed more than $100 million worldwide and received 11 Oscar nominations.

She emphasized the cross-generational nature of the hit film, saying it helped reunite immigrant families.

“Different generations come up to me and say, ‘I don’t quite understand your film, but you’ve started a conversation with my estranged daughter who I haven’t spoken to in two years,'” Yeoh added. “It’s really something special.”

She described being nominated for an Oscar after a career spanning four decades as “quite a journey” and said she “hopes it’s the start of a whole new world” for Asian actresses.