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11 Asian icons who shaped 2022: from BTS’ Jin and Blackpink, Qatar World Cup’s South Korea and Japan teams, to Marvel’s Park Seo-joon and Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh and The White Lotus’ Will Sharpe
STORYCarla Thomas
- The Fifa World Cup recently came to a close with Argentina taking home the trophy, but the Japanese squad stood out too; as did South Korea, which beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal team
- Blackpink’s Lisa, Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo released Born Pink this year, while Michelle Yeoh made Time Icon of the Year and Ke Huy Quan (of Indiana Jones and The Goonies) may get an Oscars nod
It’s been a challenging year for some – but not for these legends. The year 2022 will go down in history as one marked by the outstanding achievements and strides made by Asian celebrities and figures around the globe.
To celebrate greatness in action, we’re giving shout outs to the year’s biggest movers and shakers, from grande dame and Icon of the Year Michelle Yeoh, to elite athletes and breakthrough performers making us proud.
Here are 11 – or 64, depending on how you look at it – Asian icons that shaped 2022.
1. Michelle Yeoh
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Let’s just state the obvious: Michelle Yeoh has been and always will be an icon, far before 2022 came along. But this year, she reminded us all just how magnificent she is in her starring role as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
From savage brawling with Jamie Lee Curtis to elegantly rocking a hot dog finger look, 60-year-old Yeoh gives the performance of her career, somehow managing to stand out from the film’s star-studded cast. No wonder she was named Time’s 2022 Icon of the Year, an honour which celebrated Yeoh’s 40-year acting career.
2. Ke Huy Quan
We can’t mention Everything Everywhere All at Once without also singing the praises of former child star Ke Huy Quan – aka the comeback kid of the year. The Vietnamese-born actor starred in two definitive 1980s blockbusters – Indiana Jones and The Goonies – but quit acting after struggling to find roles in Hollywood for Asian actors, per The Guardian.
Quan told the publication he became convinced otherwise when he saw Crazy Rich Asians. Soon afterwards, the 51-year-old was offered the role of Waymond Wang and is now a strong Oscar contender for the role.