Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh is TIME’s 2022 Icon of the Year
Michelle Yeoh has been named TIME’s Icon of the Year for 2022.
The actress announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday, Dec. 6 with the caption: “I am blessed. Thank you TIME.”
The publication recognized Yeoh for her stunning performance in various films like Crazy Rich Asians, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Tomorrow Never Dies, which marked her debut in the Hollywood movie scene in 1997.
“But, until this year’s indie hit Everything Everywhere All at Once—in which Yeoh plays an overburdened wife and mother who must save the world—the now 60-year-old Malaysian actor had never been No. 1 on a Hollywood call sheet,” TIME said, adding that it’s the starring role that “many believe could win her an Oscar.”
TIME noted that no Asian woman has reigned supreme in the Best Actress category of the Academy Awards, so with Yeoh is an “added weight” in the race this year. “I’ve thought about it. And not just me—I feel like my full Asian community has thought about it. They come up to me and they say, ‘You’re doing it for us,’” Yeoh told the outlet.
Aside from Yeoh, TIME named K-pop girl group BLACKPINK Entertainer of the Year and singer Mickey Guyton Breakthrough Artist of the Year. TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year is set to be announced soon.
