Michelle Yeoh has explained why passed the Best Actress trophy to Jennifer Lawrence at the 96th Oscars to felicitate winner Emma Stone.
Yeoh, who won in the same category last year for Everything Everywhere All at Once, joined fellow past Oscar winners Sally Field, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Lange to honour this year’s Best Actress.
However, when Stone, winning for Poor Things, landed on stage, Yeoh took an extra beat to direct her to Lawrence, who finally handed her the prize.
Explaining her action, Yeoh wrote on Instagram, “Congratulations Emma!! I confused you , but I wanted to share that glorious moment of handing over Oscar to you together with your best friend Jennifer!! She reminded me of my Bae Jamie Lee Curtis always there for each other!!”
In Poor Things, Stone plays Bella Baxter, a young woman resurrected with an infant’s mind and let loose in Victorian London. The film is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
At the Oscars, Stone beat out, amongst others, Lily Gladstone, who was expected to win for her turn in Martin Scorsese’s The Killers of the Flower Moon. Other nominees included Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Carey Mulligan (Maestro) and Annette Bening (Nyad).
