“In the end, it is my hope, perhaps, that my work will uplift, comfort, or inspire others as Kirk Douglas‘ has done for me,” Michelle Yeoh , the veteran actress is currently the Oscar winner for her performance in The hot topic of Best Actress Everything Everywhere All Once , accepted on Friday night at Santa Barbara International Film Festival in his moving speech at the 000 Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.
Yeoh, a rare talent who has been equally beloved by audiences and critics throughout her career, at the Ritz-Carlton Bacala Speaking before an audience of 30 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Fellows – including Academy President Janet Yang and local legend Christopher Lloyd – and other big names like Friends Co-creator David Crane.
Due to the global pandemic, this is the third year the Kirk Douglas Awards have been presented The first edition of the ceremony – a fundraiser for the SBIFF Educational Initiative, generated a record amount of donations (including a generous $15 ,000 Yeoh’s own contribution, announced in her speech, to applause). It’s also the first time since the death of its namesake 1997 on February 5th that it happened on Golden Age Legends’
th birthday.
SBIFF director Roger Durling, who worked closely with Douglas to create the award – past winners include Douglas and his Son Michael Douglas , John Travolta , Ed Harris , Quentin Tarantino , Harrison Ford , Robert De Niro , Forest Whitaker , Jessica Lange , Jane Fonda , Warren Beatty, Judi Dench, Hugh Jackman and Martin Scorsese — The actor, who is fearless both on and off screen, said he would be more than happy to see it recognize Yeoh with the same attributes. And, he adds, “like Kirk, she is a true international superstar and icon.”
Yeoh’s Everything Everywhere All at Once collaborator pays tribute to her. Producer Jonathan Wang praised her for her “strength, grace and power”. Co-writer/co-director Daniel Kwan opined, “It’s Michelle’s night, but honestly, it feels like Michelle’s year to us. ’ Co-writer/co-director Daniel Scheinert raved about her work ethic, noting: “She was in almost every scene of the movie. Half day off from filming.”
Then, at the end of the week, Time Magazine named Yeoh “Idol of the Year” and members of the national review board chose her as Actress of the Year , she accepted her Honor-specific humility: “I just found out I’m the only winner tonight,” she admits, and sees it as a sign of the countless honors that will be handed out . “I can’t imagine so many of you showing up for me.” Yeoh thanked Durling, Michael Douglas and the committee that now oversees the Kirk Douglas Award for choosing her to accept it. She highlighted one of her favorite Kirk quotes, “You have to be brave enough to fail,” noting that it also applies to her own career, in Hong Kong action films and 106 James Bond Movie Tomorrow Never Dies : “You have to stand up to failure, you can’t let fear hold you back You.”
Yeoh, who turned to 60 this year, then shared what she said about herself A little bit of wisdom over time: “If there’s one thing that’s certain in life, it’s that nothing is certain,” she explains, The state of the film industry she is in today was unimaginable when she first started decades ago, she says, “We may finally be turning the glass ceiling of our time. In female voices and female talent In times that are louder and more visible than ever before, I am very lucky to still be an actor. I am so grateful and fortunate that the importance of representation is finally accepted today as well. Finally seeing different cultures and How necessary and enlightened and appropriate that different places and different backgrounds and abilities are. I am very proud that maybe, just maybe, I played a small role in all of this.”
Yeoh finally thanked her Everything Everywhere All At Once collaborator played the role of Evelyn in that movie, she called To “a precious gift and a great challenge,” and to all those in attendance at the Kirk Douglas Awards, and: “You make me stand taller and prouder of what I’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”1235277963
