Everything Everywhere star Stephanie Hsu’s wholesome reaction to first Oscar nomination
Hsu’s Oscar-nominated performance has gone down a storm in the Asian American community. (A24)
Everything Everywhere All at Once breakout star Stephanie Hsu said her best supporting actress Oscar nomination isn’t “just for me”.
Hsu’s nomination was one of a whopping 11 for the absurd dark comedy, with her fictional parents Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan also nominated for best actress and best supporting actor.
In the film, Hsu plays Joy, the lesbian daughter of Evelyn (Yeoh) and Waymond (Quan). As Evelyn tries to repair her ruptured relationship with Joy she is plunged into the multiverse to defeat an existential threat – her daughter’s supervillain alter ego, Jobu Tupaki.
“I know so many people see themselves in Joy and Jobu,” Hsu told Entertainment Weekly after the Oscar nominations were announced.
“So I really feel like anytime good news happens, it’s not just for me.
“It’s for so many other people as well who don’t get to be seen or don’t get to be heard and are desperately wanting to know that they’re worthy of existing.
“I’m not even just talking about identity. I’m talking about the weirdos and the artists and people who are not cookie-cutter Hollywood starlets.”
Hsu and Yeoh have been praised for their tender exploration of immigrant families, the mother-daughter relationship and the journey towards self-identity and acceptance.
The Oscar nomination is particularly welcome after Stephanie Hsu was snubbed by the Golden Globes.
Hsu also took time to celebrate Yeoh, who’s been described as the first Asian American actor to receive a Best Actress nomination (some count Merle Oberon, nominated in 1936, who had Asian ancestry but hid it).
“When I think about Michelle, I just feel so lucky and grateful that I get to be alongside her in this record-breaking, history-making moment. I know that has not been an easy road for me, and she’s had to go through that times 10,” Hsu continued.
“So it’s pretty wild that we’re having this moment together. Our movie is a lot about intergenerational trauma, but I feel like today we get to have a public-facing moment of intergenerational healing.”
Speaking to Out about the intersectionality, she explained: “It is so significant that it’s a Chinese family and it’s so significant that Joy is gay. When I read the script, a queer love story felt so obvious, an Asian family is so obvious, because that’s also my life.”
Hsu also spoke to The New York Times about how people’s reactions have impacted her.
“It’s been really healing for me to hear how many people have been affected by it,” she explained. “So many daughters and mothers have been coming to me crying, saying, ‘I saw myself in the movie,’ or ‘My relationship with my mother is just like that.'”
As fans celebrate Hsu’s Academy Award nomination, they have shared why the moment is so meaningful to them – and how thoroughly deserved – in particular, the cathartic scene between Joy and Evelyn where they confront their grievances.
