Michelle Yeoh Thanks SAGs for Giving Her 'a Seat at the Table' During 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Win

Yeoh took home the prize for her performance in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'

Michelle Yeoh just won her first Screen Actors Guild Award on Sunday. The 60-year-old took home the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her turn as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once

"SAG AFTRA, to get this from you who understands what it is to get here. Everyone one of you know the journey, the rollercoaster ride. The ups and downs, but most important, you never give up," a stunned Yeoh let out as she took the stage to accept her award. "I thank you for your love, your support, because I know I'm up against titans, rightly so."

"F**k," she continued. Wow. Thank you. Thank you. This is not just for me, this is for every little girl that looks like me. Sally Field, you said all the right things because we are here 'cause we love what we do, and we will never stop doing this because we really, really love it. But thank you for giving me a seat at the table because so many of us need this. We want to be seen. We want to be heard. And tonight, you have shown us that it is possible. And I am grateful, and my mom will be eternally grateful to you."

Yeoh beat out Ana de Armas (Blonde), Cate Blanchett (Tár), Danielle Deadwyler (Till) and Viola Davis (The Woman King) in what was one of the more competitive categories of the night. 

ET spoke to Yeoh on the red carpet earlier in the night, and she talked about all the love she has received from her peers this awards season.

"So satisfying, you know, because we all know what we go through as fellow actors -- the hardship, the waiting, the desire, the passion, the ups and downs," she said. "So when you have your peers reach out and say we love what you do, it's the biggest compliment. It really is."

Yeoh's win marks her first SAG after previously being nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for Crazy Rich Asians in 2019. She's also nominated in the same category for Everything Everywhere All at Once's ensemble, which also garnered individual wins for Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis as well as a nom for Stephanie Hsu in the supporting actress category.

Leading up to the SAG Awards, Yeoh won at the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review. She has also picked up nominations for the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards and Oscars, with the latter closing out the 2023 awards season.  


The 29th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, California, and streamed live on Netflix's YouTube channel. Stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete SAG Awards coverage and the full list of winners.

RELATED CONTENT: