OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár / Linda Tarr in “TÁR”

Guslagie Malanda as Laurence Coly in “SAINT OMER”

Thuso Mbedu as Nawi in “THE WOMAN KING”

Janelle Monáe as Cassandra Brand in “GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY”

Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang in “EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE”

AND THE WINNER:

MICHELLE YEOH AS EVELYN QUAN WANG IN "EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE"

This is the first win and third nomination for Michelle Yeoh. She was previously nominated individually for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) and with the ensemble of Crazy Rich Asians (2018). She wins for her performance as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Since first seeing EEAAO back in May of 2022 I knew that Michelle Yeoh's incredible performance was going to be a serious contender for being named my favourite leading actress performance of the year. I have seen a lot of great work by leading actresses since but truly none has outdone Yeoh and this was made even clearer on a rewatch of the film I did in the final couple weeks of the year. Yeoh has been an incredibly reliable screen performer for the entirety of her filmography and while she's gotten chances to display her skill (like in her Crouching Tiger performance which I previously nominated her for) with Evelyn Wang she was given a role unlike anything she's ever gotten to play.

First of all this film is obsessed with Yeoh and supplies her with a plethora of characters and moments to play with Michelle knocking each moment out of the park. The above scene which I've included to highlight Yeoh's work is a great culmination of everything she has done during the film and it is just a marvellous turn that I found great joy in experiecing Michelle just dominate the picture. Honestly no one could play this role as Yeoh did and that is another positive in her corner as this is a singular turn acting as a great include many elements of Yeoh's career but also as the opportunity to witness her act in ways she's not been asked to before.

I could go on for a very long time discussing the greatness of Michelle Yeoh in EEAAO but to write one final note, one of the greatest parts of all the deserved praise that Yeoh is getting is the chance to award an actress of an older age for both her career and a revolutionary moment in her lengthy career.