In 2000, Michelle Yeoh played Xiulian in Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ". This movie opened up the road to Hollywood ; in 2022, Michelle Yeoh will play Xiulian again in " The Instant Universe" "", she played the role of Xiulian. This movie with explosive reputation made her famous again as she is about to celebrate her 60th birthday. "Hollywood Reporter" said that after becoming a beauty pageant champion and a martial arts star, Michelle Yeoh, the successful representative of "Instant Universe", finally received "the recognition that Hollywood has always owed her." According to statistics, Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian actress over 44 years old to star in a Hollywood film in the past 20 years.
"Finally someone understands that I can do it all"
The kung fu science fiction film "The Instant Universe" is directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Schnatter, starring Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kwan Ji-Wei Starring and others, it tells the story of Xiulian, played by Michelle Yeoh, who faces a middle-aged dilemma: her husband wants to divorce her, her daughter is rebellious and alienated, her father is dissatisfied with her, and there are all kinds of troubles in the laundry she runs... As a result, she is suddenly taken from another The husband of the universe told: There are many universes in the world, and there are also many "shes". The fates of these "hers" are somehow connected, and the fate of these many universes is now in the hands of this "she" superior. The film was released in North America on March 25 this year. With its unconstrained imagination and hilarious and meaningful hybrid style, the film made the audience hooked. With a Rotten Tomatoes index of 97%, it became the biggest dark horse film this year.
It is reported that directors Dan Guan and Daniel Schnatter were originally Jackie Chan fans, and the script of "The Instant Universe" was originally tailor-made for Jackie Chan. As a result, during the creation process, he found that the protagonist was changed to a female, and the conflict was stronger. Michelle Yeoh's performance in " Crazy Rich Asians " shocked the two directors - it turns out that Michelle Yeoh not only knows how to "fight", but also has such good acting skills.
Michelle Yeoh loves "The Universe" very much: When interviewed by foreign media, she even shed tears when she talked about the emotional part, "This is a script I have been looking forward to for a long time, and I finally have the opportunity to show it to my fans, family and audience. Showing my abilities. I can prove to them that I can be funny, sincere, and sad. Finally, someone understands that I can do it all."
In Michelle Yeoh's opinion, Xiulian in the film is very universal. A very hard-working middle-aged immigrant, "She used all her strength to maintain her family and tried to prove to her family that she was a successful person. I have seen the shadow of Xiulian in many people, and I feel that I have an obligation to speak out about them." "The role of Xiulian made Michelle Yeoh feel real. "Although it is a multi-universe setting, the story is believable." Michelle Yeoh laughed and said that she was often confused and confused when filming on the set. This is exactly how Xiulian feels - she is jumping through time and space, in a confused and divided state. During the filming process, she could not help but put herself in and think like Xiulian: "Am I a loser? Can I do better?"
"In Hong Kong, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and I Can't Buy Insurance"
Michelle Yeoh said that her personality is to refuse to give up, "because if you give up or give in, you have already lost." This spirit of "refusing to give up" also made her "the number one in Asia". Hit the title of female ".
Michelle Yeoh was born in , Malaysia, in 1962. She came from a very privileged family. She started learning ballet at the age of 4, and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Dance at the age of 17. Later, she was unable to become a professional ballet dancer due to spinal injuries. In 1983, her mother applied for Michelle Yeoh to compete in the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant, and she won the championship, which started her entry into Hong Kong, China. In 1984, Michelle Yeoh co-starred with Sammo Hung, Lin Zixiang, Ip Tak-han and others in "The Owl and Dumbo", filming her first movie.
In Hong Kong, Michelle Yeoh took on many action movies. Before filming her second movie "The Royal Sisters", she practiced martial arts with Sammo Hung for more than half a year. Therefore, when filming "The Royal Sister", she personally completed dangerous actions such as walking through glass in the film.With this film, Michelle Yeoh was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. After
, Michelle Yeoh has made a name for herself with the image of "beating women", but the price paid behind it is also daunting. The action scenes in the movie were so dangerous that insurance companies were unwilling to cover them. She once said: "At that time in Hong Kong, there were three people who couldn't buy insurance, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and me."
When filming Ann Hui's " Ajin", Michelle Yeoh had to jump from an 18-meter-high overpass. Down. Unexpectedly, she happened to land on a passing truck and fell heavily to the ground, almost paralyzing her. At that time, when Quentin Tarantino ran to Hong Kong to visit his idol Michelle Yeoh, she could barely move. Quentin said: "I have watched all your movies and studied your action scenes frame by frame." Michelle Yeoh later said: "After chatting with him, I understood that I have come alive. I love Everything I did was a turning point in my life. I paid my tuition." After recovering from her injury, Michelle Yeoh took on the role of "Tomorrow Never Dies" and entered Hollywood.
While filming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Michelle Yeoh tore the ligaments in both legs during a roundhouse kick and fell heavily from the wall. After a month of treatment, she returned to the set and continued filming. Two weeks later, she ruptured her hamstring again. After the film was completed, regarding the scene where Michelle Yeoh cried while holding Li Mubai's body at the end of the film, Ang Lee once said: "I knew that Michelle Yeoh was crying not only for the character's grievances, but also for her own bitterness. I also cried later, because I I thought about how difficult it was for me to make the film, so I understood her and cried with her behind the camera. "
Michelle Yeoh, who is about to turn 60 now, is still a leader in "beating women." 12 years ago, when " Sword Rain " was released, Michelle Yeoh was interviewed by a reporter from Beiqing Daily. When asked if she was worried about her physical strength as she gets older, she replied at the time: "I don't think I have this worry yet. I had a great time fighting in the film this time. As I get older, my skills are getting better and better, because I have 'Internal strength' - you can understand yourself better. You were very motivated when you were young, but now you can see it clearly. Our martial arts instructor will always say to the apprentices who are not practicing, Michelle Yeoh will not be as lazy as you. It’s like there is pressure.”
“Trust and love the film work that I am engaged in”
Michelle Yeoh made her debut in 1984. Her contemporaries such as Chung Chu-hong, Maggie Cheung, Joey Wong, etc., have long since retired, and her good friend Anita Mui has passed away. For many years; Chow Yun-fat , Jackie Chan, and Jet Li are also "young people in the world." Only Michelle Yeoh has been "charged" on the front line.
In 2018, "Crazy Rich Asians" starring Michelle Yeoh became a dark horse film, which greatly increased the presence of Asian actors in Hollywood; in 2021, "Shang-Chi" she starred in was a first-line commercial blockbuster; this year's " "The Whole Universe" has become a hit again. It is understood that she currently has 7 more movies and TV series planned to be released. James Cameron has even booked her schedule from "Avatar 2" to "Avatar 5".
In a recent interview with Asian actress Sandra Oh , Michelle Yeoh once said with a smile that even though she has been acting for so many years, she is still nervous. “When I know I have to go on stage the next day, I stayed up all night, worrying about all kinds of things. I am worried that my image will not be perfect and I will be embarrassed, but when I go on stage and see everyone’s enthusiasm and feel everyone’s love, I will have the courage.” In addition to the love of the audience, Michelle Yeoh said that another reason that keeps her courage is. Trust and love, "I trust and love the film work I am engaged in."
In Michelle Yeoh's view, age is not a limit, it is more important to have connotation, strength and works.
Michelle Yeoh is the real "sister who rides the wind and waves." (Reporter Xiao Yang)
Source: Beijing Youth Daily
