‘It was a dream come true until I got here’: Michelle Yeoh takes swipe at Hollywood racism in Globes speech

‘I came here and was told “you’re a minority”,’ actor said

Michelle Yeoh gave an emotional speech after winning her first Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

The veteran actor won for her role as Evelyn Wang in last year’s mind-bending A24 movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Yeoh used her acceptance speech to call out racism in the industry. “I remember when I first came to Hollywood,” she said, “it was a dream come true until I got here.”

“I came here and was told you’re a minority,” she said. “And then, someone said, ‘You speak English’... And I said, ‘Yeah the flight over here was about 13 hours long so I learnt.’”

When the piano eventually started, indicating that Yeoh had exceeded her allotted speech time, she told the musician: “Shut up, please. I can beat you up, okay? And that's serious.”

Globes host Jerrod Carmichael was the first to discuss racism in the industry in his opening monologue.

Michelle Yeoh at the Golden Globes (NBC)

The comedian told the star-studded audience: “I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here because I’m Black.”

The awards show was on hiatus last year after a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed that its awarding body did not have a single Black member. The organising body was also criticised for “ethical lapses” in its business conduct.

Find live updates from the Golden Globes here and the updated list of winners as they’re announced here.