Why EEAAO’s Success Shows the Oscars Are Still Long Overdue for Comprehensive Change

Despite a historic night, the Academy continues to overlook marginalized talent at an alarming rate.

Robin A Henderson
7 min readApr 3, 2023
The marketing poster for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once featuring lead actress Michelle Yeoh.
Image: A24

Fans of A24’s breakout hit were abuzz with anticipation.

On Hollywood’s biggest night, Daniel Kwan’s and Daniel Scheinert’s cultural touchstone film Everything Everywhere All at Once (EEAAO) took home seven wins. This victory made it the most awarded Best Picture since Slumdog Millionaire fourteen years ago.

Furthermore, the Daniels’ mind-melding multiverse masterpiece won Best Picture, the evening’s top prize.

And it almost pulled off a full sweep in the acting categories, too, with Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ke Huy Quan earning Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

Besides The Daniels’ EEAAO wins, S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR became the first feature from India to win an Oscar for Best Original Song with the smash hit “Naatu Naatu,” clocking in over 130 million YouTube views.

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Robin A Henderson

I write about inclusive storytelling in Hollywood and diverse representation in wellness.