Michelle Yeoh

The 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' star shared her thoughts about her fellow nominee's controversial campaign: If cheating “was so easy, it would have ...

[the first](https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/01/25/michelle-yeoh-merle-oberon-best-actress-oscar/) self-identifying Asian woman to earn a nomination for best actress at the Academy Awards. Following the snubs, Till director Chinonye Chukwu called out Hollywood for its “ [unabashed misogyny towards Black women](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/01/till-helmer-calls-out-unabashed-misogyny-towards-black-women-in-hollywood-after-oscar-snub).” [last-minute, unconventional, and highly calculated campaign](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/01/awards-insider-little-gold-men-to-leslie) for her work in the heretofore little-seen indie To Leslie, a film that grossed $27,000 at the box office. Riseborough’s campaign proved successful, nabbing her a surprise best-actress slot—alongside Yeoh, Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, and Michelle Williams—and leading to the [notable snubs](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/01/awards-insider-oscar-nominations-snubs-surprises) of supposed locks like The Woman King’s Viola Davis and Till’s Danielle Deadwyler. In an interview with the BBC’s Today, the Everything Everywhere All at Once star [commented](https://deadline.com/2023/02/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-michelle-yeoh-andrea-riseborough-oscars-1235255493/) on the controversy surrounding her fellow best-actress nominee Andrea Riseborough’s unconventional To Leslie campaign. “I love [Davis and Deadwyler] to the extreme and wish we were all getting Oscars, but it’s tough.

Her nomination followed a run of late-in-the-day endorsements from a number of A-list stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron, Amy Adams ...

Every single actor and actress puts their heart and soul into these movies and you don’t necessarily start thinking you are going to get nominated. [messaged her to say that he had turned down the lead role in Everything Everywhere All at Once](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jackie-chan-michelle-yeoh-everything-everywhere-b2276941.html) before she took it. “It took me 40 years to even get a nomination. [ruling that no action was to be taken on Riseborough’s nomination](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/andrea-riseborough-oscar-nomination-review-b2273295.html). [list of 2023 nominees](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/oscars-2023-nominations-live-updates-b2267935.html), earning a nod for her role in the little-seen drama [To Leslie](/topic/to-leslie). [Everything Everywhere All at Once](/topic/everything-everywhere-all-at-once), dismissed the suggestion that Riseborough’s campaign had operated outside of the rules.

The Academy had investigated Riseborough's surprise nomination for potential rule-breaking, but she has the support of fellow nominee Yeoh.

“I love [Danielle Deadwyler and Viola Davis] to the extreme and wish we were all getting Oscars but it’s tough. “The Academy has always prided itself on having regulations and playing by the rules and if [cheating them] was so easy it would have done before. While critics and Hollywood stars had raved about her performance, the nomination was seen as a surprise by many, and it was soon after reported that the nod came after a grassroots campaign from Riseborough's team to reach the attention of Academy voters.

When asked about the swirling speculation that Riseborough's grassroots Oscar campaign for micro-indie “To Leslie” broke the rules, and the internal ...

[Best Actress](/title/tt1984119/)Oscar nominee for the 27,000-grosser became further embattled after the Jan. “We are always evolving on how to protect our integrity and I have great faith we will continue to do that.” [Michelle Yeoh](/name/nm0000706/)spoke out for the first time on Friday about the ongoing [Andrea Riseborough](/name/nm2057859/)Oscar campaign controversy.

Michelle Yeoh defended the Academy's rules and regulations amid Andrea Riseborough's Best Actress Oscar nomination.

If you are an entertainment industry association, guild, or union member, [sign up here to receive future EW print issues](https://selfserve.decipherinc.com/survey/selfserve/20f6/221225?list=1#?). It's not even just about me — it's a validation for people who look like me to be there, to be part of this group." She continued, "Every single one actor, actress, filmmaker poured their heart and soul into the movies, the stories they want to tell. "The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film's nomination should be rescinded. "It's a validation from your peers to say, 'We see you, we recognize you.' It's taken so long to be seen and recognized… "I wish we were all just getting the The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. "I know that the Academy has always prided themselves to have regulations where we all play by the rules," Yeoh said. It took me like 40 years to get even a nomination." "Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the To Leslie awards campaign, the Academy began a review into the film's campaigning tactics," Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement at the time. It's tough to be pitched against each other. I have great faith that we will do that."

British actress Riseborough, 41, was nominated for her performance in independent film To Leslie, which sees her play a single mother who has turned to ...

She said: “It is so unique, so weird, wacky, it’s almost impossible to describe but somehow something resonated. “It’s validation from your peers to say we see you, recognise you. It’s taken so long to be seen and recognised.

'I know that the academy has always prided itself on having regulations where we all play by the rules. And if it was so easy it could have been done before ...

See our [latest prediction champs](https://www.goldderby.com/best-prediction-scores/awards/league-data/). [the 2023 Oscar winners through March 12](https://www.goldderby.com/leagues/) [Make your predictions](https://www.goldderby.com/leagues/) at Gold Derby now. [asked](https://ew.com/awards/danielle-deadwyler-till-oscars-snub-systemic-racism/) about the Best Actress race. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our [famous forums](https://www.goldderby.com/forums/) where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. The “ [Till](https://www.goldderby.com/t/till/)” star said of the academy that failed to recognize her work, “We’re talking about people who perhaps chose not to see the film. Download our free and easy app for [Apple/iPhone devices](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1460576753) or [Android (Google Play)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pmc.goldDerby) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. I want the Oscars,” she said. I wish honestly that we were all just getting the Oscars. [To Leslie](https://www.goldderby.com/t/to-leslie/)” stars past collaborators and friends, Yeoh [told](http://bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f29r05?at_link_type=web_link&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_link_origin=BBCr4today&at_medium=social&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_id=3F62F1C2-A934-11ED-B5D8-17EC2052A482&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_format=link&at_bbc_team=editorial) BBC’s “Today” program, “I don’t know enough to make a comment.” But the “ [Everything Everywhere All At Once](https://www.goldderby.com/t/everything-everywhere-all-at-once/)” star quickly added, “I know that the academy has always prided itself on having regulations where we all play by the rules. She specifically discussed the Best Actress race and how Davis and Deadwyler, both of whom received numerous precursor nominations, including at the BAFTA Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics Choice Awards, failed to rate with academy members. People like to say, ‘Well, Viola and Danielle had studios behind them.’ But we just very clearly saw that social capital is more valuable than that,” she “Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the ‘To Leslie’ awards campaign, the academy began a review into the film’s campaigning tactics.