KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh recounted the hardship and struggle she endured before winning the coveted Oscar award that made her a Hollywood A-lister and icon, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement after the two met in Putrajaya today.

Yeoh, who hails from Ipoh and started out as a beauty pageant winner before taking a leap of faith to venture into the movie industry, is currently back in her home country to meet fans.

She has dedicated her historic award of the Oscars — she is first Asian woman to receive one — to the diverse culture she was raised in, as she expressed gratitude for the constant support Malaysians have shown towards her career as an actor.

Dressed in dark coloured pants paired with a white blouse printed with Asian tiger motif, Yeoh brought with her the Oscar statuette that she later placed on a small coffee table placed between her and the country’s tenth prime minister, who appeared delighted to meet the 60-year-old actor.