People Tried To Get Michelle Yeoh To Retire Before Her First Oscar Nomination And She Absolutely Shut Them Down

People Tried To Get Michelle Yeoh To Retire Before Her First Oscar Nomination And She Absolutely Shut Them Down
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People Tried To Get Michelle Yeoh To Retire Before Her First Oscar Nomination And She Absolutely Shut Them Down

"I should be in control of what I am capable of, right?"

RIqzZkkey_large.jpg?crop=305%3A305%3B91%2C130&downsize=60:*&output-format=jpg&output-quality=autoby Alex Gurley

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Michelle Yeoh was pressured to walk away from Hollywood — right before she landed her first Oscar nomination.

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Karwai Tang / WireImage

Looking back on her career, Michelle says that as she got older, the roles she was being offered started to dwindle.

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Steve Granitz / FilmMagic

"You know, as you get older, the roles get smaller. It seems like the numbers go up and these things go narrow and then you start getting relegated to the side more and more," Michelle told the LA Times.

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@michelleyeoh_official / Via instagram.com

She added that over time, people began to tell her she should retire — but she thankfully didn't listen.

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Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images

"You know, as you get older, people start saying, 'Oh yeah, you should retire. You should do this. You should,'" Michelle said.

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Steve Granitz / FilmMagic

She continued, "No, guys. Do not tell me what to do. I should be in control of what I am capable of, right?"

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Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images

When Michelle ended up getting offered Everything Everywhere All at Once, she says she finally felt seen for what she could accomplish.

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Allyson Riggs /© A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection

"When Everything Everywhere came, all at once it was very emotional because this means that you are the one who's leading this whole process, who's telling the story," she said.

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Amy Sussman / Getty Images

She later added, "The first thing is you feel like, 'Finally, thank you. You guys see me, you guys really see, and you're giving me the opportunity to show that I'm capable of doing all this.'"

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@michelleyeoh_official / Via instagram.com

"As an actor, you need the opportunity. You need the role that will help you showcase what you are capable to do," she said.

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Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for National Board of Review

Michelle's faith in her acting capabilities clearly paid off as she's currently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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Kevin Winter / Getty Images

On top of that, she's already taken home a Golden Globe this season and is up for quite a few more awards!

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Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images for TIME

You can read all that Michelle had to say here.

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