Michelle Yeoh took her Oscars trophy with her to her father’s grave in Malaysia.
The visit was to mark Qing Ming, a major traditional festival observed by the Chinese community in several south Asian countries where people visit tombs of their ancestors and clean them and make food offerings.
At the 2023 Oscars, 60-year-old Yeoh took home the award for Best Actress for her leading role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
In doing so, she beat Cate Blanchett (Tár), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans), Ana de Armas (Blonde) and Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), who were nominated in the category.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is the beacon of hope and possibilities,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech.
“This is proof to dream big and that dreams do come true.”
“Ladies, don’t tell anyone tell you, you are past your prime,” she said.
She also dedicated the award to her mother and “all the mums in the world”, calling them the “real superheroes”.
On Wednesday (12 April), Yeoh posted a photograph of her holding her Oscars trophy in front of her father’s grave in Malaysia.
“Brought Mr O home,” she captioned the photo. “Without my parents’ love and trust and support… I wouldn’t be here today… love so much.”
The actor’s father Yeoh Kian Teik died in 2014 at the age of 89.
Soon after the Oscars ceremony in March, a video of her mother Janet breaking down in excitement after her daughter was declared the winner, went viral.
In the clip, she’s visibly emotional as a screaming crowd around her embrace her.
Yeoh’s victory also marks the first triumph in over two decades for a Best Actress woman of colour, as well as the very first win for an Asian actor in the category itself.
