The absence of Oscar nominations for Wicked: For Good marked one of the central points of Michelle Yeoh’s recent statements in Berlin, where the actress is to receive the honorary Golden Bear.
During an interview, the artist expressed her reaction to the film’s exclusion from the Academy categories.”I’m not surprised. I’m shocked!” she said when referring to the decision.
The Hollywood star reprized her role as Madame Morrible in the production, sharing the cast with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and noted that she considered the film had sufficient technical and artistic merits to be among the nominees.
The actress highlighted different sections of the film, including costume design, makeup and hair, cinematography and production design. She specifically mentioned the work of costume designer Paul Tazewell, as well as that of director of photography Alice Brooks and director Jon M. Chu.
As he explained, Wicked: For Good expands the universe of the first installment with new settings and a more elaborate visual proposal.
As if that were not enough, Yeoh also referred to the possibility that prior recognition of the franchise may have influenced the reception of this new installment.
“It’s a real disappointment. Sometimes the problem is that people think, ‘Oh, they already got a lot with the first one, let’s let others have a chance,'” he said.However, he maintained that, in his opinion, the film should be considered on its own merits.
In the context of the conversation about Wicked: For Good, Yeoh also recalled the process of joining the franchise.He explained that one of his main challenges was taking on a role with sung parts, since he does not consider himself a singer.
To do this, he worked with a vocal coach and described the experience as an opportunity to develop new skills.
The statements come three years after Michelle Yeoh made history by becoming the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for best actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
At that ceremony he gave a speech in which he said: “Ladies, never let anyone tell you that you are past your prime.”
In Berlin, the famous woman pointed out that this message is still valid and that women continue to face age-related limitations in the industry.
“Let’s not let them define us as women or pigeonhole us and say, ‘Well, because you’re this age now, you should only play a grandmother.’ I say, ‘No way. I’m going to be the best because I want to, and I still can,'” she said.
In addition to addressing the situation at the Oscars, Michelle Yeoh spoke about the changes in Hollywood in recent decades and the evolution in the representation of women and Asian communities on screen.
“I hope they continue like this. But if you look at the other – I’m sorry to say – Caucasian films, they continue to tell very different stories. So this is what we have to do: tell many stories to continue having a place at the table,” he said.
He indicated that, after the impact of Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All atOnce, more projects have been produced with Asian protagonists, although he noted that it is necessary to maintain a constant diversity of stories.
Currently, the actress is preparing for new projects, including the filming of The Wandering Earth 3 in China and Avatar 4, although she assured that production has not begun.
