Mark Wahlberg has been criticised on social media for presenting the SAG award to the Asian cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The actor’s history of hate crimes, including a series of incidents in the 1980s during which Wahlberg attacked two Vietnamese men, has resurfaced online.
Wahlberg attacked two Vietnamese men, Thanh Lam and Johnny Trinh, knocking the former unconscious with a wooden stick and punching the latter in the eye. It was reported by officers that Wahlberg had made racist slurs to describe both men.
Last night (February 26), the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once took home several Screen Actors Guild awards, including Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh and Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan.
“I gotta say, having Mark Wahlberg, who literally went to jail as a teen for committing a hate crime against a Vietnamese man, present an award to the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once was certainly a choice,” wrote Bonnie Stiernberg on Twitter after the event.
Take a look at some more reactions here:
the fact that noted hate crime doer mark wahlberg was asked to present this award is really killing me lmfao https://t.co/p7T2DciG98
— ariel (@ariellebeau) February 27, 2023
Good for Mark Wahlberg, standing on a stage with all those Asian people without assaulting any of them
— Ryan Aguirre (@aguirreryan) February 27, 2023
now why would they get mark wahlberg to present this to the Asian cast of EEAAO… #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/9kFbsrBg5u
— lizzy (@meadowiIton) February 27, 2023
not mark wahlberg of all people presenting an award to Everything Everywhere All At Once, a predominantly Asian cast, and saying “women are talking” in the space of 30 seconds #SAGAwards #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/34fAUG3Mzw
— lewis 🪩 (@lewisjwr) February 27, 2023
Will Smith ostracized while Mark Wahlberg get to present an award to an Asian cast. #SAGAwards2023
— Torraine Walker (@TorraineWalker) February 27, 2023
They really had mark wahlberg whom got arrested for beating up a Vietnamese man a long time ago present best ensemble to an film with a lot of Chinese American actors in it #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/H89t5SxpJ1
— BLACK LIVES MATTER (@willowhalliwell) February 27, 2023
Meanwhile, Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh revealed she was pressured to retire before signing on for the project.
Speaking on The Envelope podcast, Yeoh, aged 60, explained that she was defiant against calls for her to retire before she was cast.
“You know, as you get older, the roles get smaller,” Yeoh said. “It seems like the numbers go up and these things go narrow and then you start getting relegated to the side more and more. So when Everything Everywhere came… it was very emotional because this means that you are the one who’s leading this whole process, who’s telling the story.”