Yeoh, 60, also said that she had never thought of giving up her acting career that has spanned 40 years and that she would not have won an Oscar if she had allowed it to happen.
When asked about how she broke the glass ceiling by winning the Oscar, Yeoh reiterated that it was about “never giving up”.
“Always always show up. It’s perseverance. It is hard work. It is to keep pushing the envelope and hopefully you will meet storytellers especially, producers, people who are able to make the change who have the vision and foresight,” she said, adding that she would not play a role that typecasts her.
When asked what could be done to elevate the Malaysian entertainment industry, Yeoh said that they had to be “bold and courageous”.
“A lot of times we box ourselves in our comfort zone where we just deal with our own market. When you make a movie, it should be global. It should not be for this or for that. That’s when you speak a global language and that’s what we strive to do continuously.
“I know there are amazing filmmakers from this part of our world. First of all, we have to create opportunities for them. We have to create platforms that will showcase their talents. I do want to work very closely with heads of studios here, people who can make the change and push the path forwards,” she said.
Everything Everywhere All At Once entered the Oscars race this year with a leading 11 nominations and swept seven awards in all – including best picture, best director, best film editing and best original screenplay.
In the movie, Yeoh plays an exasperated Chinese immigrant laundromat owner struggling to finish her taxes. She edged out nominees Ana De Armas (Blonde), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) and Cate Blanchett (Tar) for the award.