Hong Kong Politician Claims Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh Is Actually A Hong Kong Actor
Hong Kong's Culture, Sports, and Tourism secretary Kevin Yeung said that Michelle Yeoh first made a name in the Hong Kong film sector.
Recently, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh made history by becoming the first Malaysian to ever win a Golden Globe
The Ipoh-born actress bagged The Golden Globe award for Best Actress In a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her stellar performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Yeoh rose to fame performing her own stunts in Hong Kong movies such as Yes, Madam and Policy Story 3: Supercop before going on to star alongside Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
She claimed international stardom after starring in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a 2000 film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001 and the Best Narrative Feature at the 37th Golden Horse Awards, as well as 2018's Crazy Rich Asians.
Following Yeoh's success, Hong Kong's Culture, Sports, and Tourism secretary Kevin Yeung claimed that she's a Hong Kong actor
Yeung said the award was well deserved, Hong Kong Free Press reported.
"Michelle Yeoh first made a name in the Hong Kong film sector, then moved on to the international stage with her exceptionally outstanding acting skills and hard work," Yeung was reported as saying.
"We are really empowered by the fact that Hong Kong actors have continued to shine in the global film industry."
This sparked a barrage of criticism on social media where people called out Yeung for his remarks
Among the comments made by social media users, one person asked Yeung if Malaysia was part of Hong Kong.
Another asked whether starring in a Hong Kong film makes an actor a Hong Kong national.
Meanwhile, a user remarked sarcastically to say that even Hong Kong has adopted Malaysian titles.