Every year when the nominations for the Oscars are announced, a spotlight is shone on the diversity among the full list of nominees. It is important for those within the film industry and those observing it that the art of motion pictures reflects the diversity that is evident across the world, and that those films that showcase the diversity of the human race are celebrated. 2023 has been no exception, and Tuesday's Oscar nominations have set a record for Asian representation, as for the first time ever, four Asian actors have been nominated.
The bulk of the four acting nominations come from one film, Everything Everywhere All at Once — which had a successful day with 11 Oscar nominations in total across performing categories as well as best picture, director, best screenplay and more. Michelle Yeoh received her first-ever Oscar nomination for actress in a lead role and in doing so became the first woman identifying as Asian to be nominated for the award. Previously, Merle Oberon was nominated in 1935, though her ancestry only came to public attention following her death. Yeoh's cast mates, Ke Huy Quan (actor in a supporting role) and Stephanie Hsu (actress in a supporting role) are also first-time nominees and have helped contribute to the milestone for Asian actor representation at the Oscars.
The fourth performer that has helped surpass 2004's record of three Asian actors being nominated — namely Indian and Iranian actors Ben Kingsley and Shohreh Aghdashloo for their performances in House of Sand and Fog and Japan's Ken Watanabe for his performance in The Last Samurai — is Hong Chau in the actress in the supporting role category. Chau starred opposite hotly-tipped lead actor favorite Brendan Fraser in The Whale.
All four of the Asian performers nominated have had a successful awards season thus far. Chau's nomination backs up her previous nominations for this year's BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. Yeoh, whose storied career and incredible talent is finally reaping well-deserved benefits, has also received a BAFTA and SAG nomination for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, along with a Critics Choice Award nomination and Golden Globe win. Hsu's incredible performance in Everywhere All at Once was also recognized by SAG and Quan is now a Golden Globe and Critics Choice award-winner and has picked up nominations from BAFTA and SAG as well.
The 2023 Oscars will air on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The awards ceremony will air on ABC starting at 8:00 PM ET and 5:00 PM PT with Jimmy Kimmel hosting. Check out the two trailers for the two films (Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Whale) that have made today a record-breaking one for Asian performers below.