Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian to win Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 12th (local time).
Here, Michelle Yeoh, who came up to the stage to lift the Best Actress trophy after her name was called, said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dream big, and dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime. Never give up.“
This scene was reported by terrestrial broadcasters MBC, KBS, SBS as well as comprehensive programming channels. However, only “SBS Eight O’Clock News” removed the voice of the part in which Michelle Yeoh mentioned “Ladies” and showed a paraphrased subtitle that said “Don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime“.
Netizens commented, “I can’t believe you cut the most important word in her acceptance speech“, “What is your reason for deleting the word ‘ladies’?”, “You have to ask Michelle Yeoh if it fits her intentions“…
SBS News then explained to Newsen, “We thought that the phrase ‘Don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime’ didn’t apply only to women, so we deleted this word.“
However, the controversy has not subsided because this statement can be seen as an admission that SBS News did not report Michelle Yeoh’s acceptance speech as it is, but rather interpreted and edited it on their own terms.
Michelle Yeoh is an actress who has always been interested in women’s human rights and has spoken out various times in this regard. Therefore, it seems clear that she intended to point out “ladies” in her acceptance speech at a global awards ceremony. She recently published an article in the New York Times titled “The Crisis That Changed My Life 8 Years Ago Keeps Happening”, in which she pointed out that women’s advancement in each area, including local community, domestic politics and international politics, should be vitalized.
In 2012, she played Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese housewife turned activist, in the film “The Lady” (directed by famous French director Luc Besson). At that time, she referred to Aung San Suu Kyi as “an icon and a female activist representing this era“.
Meanwhile, the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, thanks to which Michelle Yeoh received the Best Actress award, tells the story that happens when Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese immigrant who runs a laundry shop, realizes that she is destined to save her family and the world while being audited by the IRS. This film won a total of 7 awards at the Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, among others.
Source: Wikitree
