“It can only be true love when you enable your other half to be better, to be the person they’re destined to be.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Today, tomorrow and every day, we will see at least 2,000 young children killed or seriously injured on the world’s roads. This is unacceptable, preventable, and we have to stop it. We have the vaccines for this disease: helmets, seatbelts, speed enforcement, safe road design. We just need to use them.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I thoroughly enjoy a good hot bath. That is my ultimate luxury.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“There is so much we can do to save lives on our roads.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I grew up in Malaysia, and Bollywood is really big there. As a result, I’ve grown up watching a lot of Hindi movies.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“If I only get to play Malaysian roles, there wouldn’t be very many roles for me to play.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“For me, beauty comes from natural happiness. I think that a woman glows, and a man, even, when they’re healthy and they’re happy.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Before you get into the mind, you have to inhabit the physicality. Body language is a great way of speaking.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“For me, the director is the most important thing. He is steering the boat. If you don’t trust him, you won’t be able to give him your all.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Beauty shouldn’t be superficial and should come from within, and your eyes will tell the story.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I have been presented with roles with demand not just a physical ability but mental disciplines as well. ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ was not so much about physical exertion… it was much more graceful and contained than that.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I kick and punch quite hard, and it surprises people.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“To be a geisha, you have to have to an iron-clad layer around you – around your physical body and your heart.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“As an actor, you can’t just imitate someone. You have to get under her skin.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When it is real person, especially who means so much to millions of people, you have an obligation, you cannot take liberties, you cannot pretend to know. But we are telling the love story of Michael Aris and his wife, the story of a beautiful, lush country, and the emotions of a mother.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I have done many films across the globe and would love to be a part of Bollywood, but the script must have a strong character for me.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Sometimes, being a girl away from home – it gets to you.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Body language is more fascinating to me than actual language.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“It’s very important for us all to understand that we are interconnected and we need to hold hands together, especially when the going gets tough.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Why do we have ‘Transformers 5 or 6?’ Because young kids will go and see it four or five times.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Action shouldn’t just be seeing all those crashes. You can blow up a cathedral; next time you blow up the Great Wall of China, and then what? But when you’re in love with your characters, the smallest action becomes an important action.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When you face up to bad things in the past, the most important thing is not to allow them to happen today or in the future, and as storytellers, we must play our part in that.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“We have to make movies where we do not think this is for the American market or this is for the Chinese market. We have to make a good movie that anyone would just want to sit down and watch because love, language, culture transcend everything.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I went to the Gobi Desert, even though I had no scenes there. This is the greatness of China, the landscape, even for us.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“My career in the movie business began in Hong Kong, my heart has always been tied to Asia, and it is immensely gratifying to see international recognition for Asian cinema as a whole.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“As an actor, you hope to find roles that are challenging to you as an artist. Then if you are truly blessed, you will find that it also carries a message that you can impart to your audience.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I have people who love me and people that I love and a man that I love. So in that sense, I feel that I’m pretty well rounded.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“If you read a lot of Chinese literature, there has always been very strong women figures – warriors, swordswomen – who defended honor and loyalty with the men. So, it’s not new to our culture – it’s always been very much a part of it. It’s good that now the Western audience would have a different image of the Chinese women.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When I watch myself on-screen, I always look for the flaws.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“India is a great talent pool of actors. I see Freida Pinto making it big in Hollywood, and I am sure many others can also make it.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“My mother is a very big cinema buff, so as a kid, we watched a lot of Indian and Malay films.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“My grandmother had flawless skin just from using basic skincare – an old herbal remedy in the form of a white powder and cream. I don’t actually know what was in it because when you’re young, you’re not interested in skincare, and I didn’t want to walk around the house with a white face.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I’m not a fashion victim, and I don’t closely follow trends. I dress the way I feel comfortable because, at the end of the day, you have to be comfortable.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I don’t like cutting my hair. I did that once, and my mum thought I was a boy.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“We always see Aung San as a strong, tough woman. There are two stories running in parallel. You see the contradictions between the East and the West, and you see someone who does mundane and normal things – someone who’s supposed to be a housewife – and then someone who’s become important and imprisoned.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When men have a smile on their faces, that does a lot for me.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Let’s empower men and help them take a stand to stop acts of violence against women.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“This world belongs to all of us, and all sexes should be able to live in respect and harmony.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I stretch and do my squats when I brush my teeth.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I always thought of myself as James Bond.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When a movie becomes very successful, it’s automatic that people will start thinking a sequel, a prequel, a quel-quel.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“As a producer, what you want to do is make the next hit. But you also want to lead the audience into wanting to watch different movies. You have to vary your content.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“There is no guaranteed formula. And that’s one of the interesting things about filmmaking. You could put $115 million in, and it doesn’t guarantee success.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“You have to have integrity.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Your timing has to be very accurate. I’ve done a lot of wire work before. I can see that experience makes a big difference.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“The Asia and the Pacific region is facing an epidemic of road death and injury, but we also have innovative Asian road safety solutions.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When you love someone, you don’t try to change them.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“As producers, we can influence where the budget goes, but only the director really controls what tone, what type of movie you are trying to make.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“’Crouching Tiger,’ of course, was a very dramatic role for me, and the fighting was very serious.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“For an actress, everything is always fine – you are looked after, you have your trailer, and everything provided. But the crew are the ones out there in the wilds all the time, hours before and after us.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Every time you do a movie, it’s important for your career, your reputation.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“You never know whether the subject matter will click with the audience at that particular time. I wish there was a formula, you know, ‘That plus that equals success.’”
― Michelle Yeoh
“As an actress, you know there are limitations on what you can do creatively.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“The beauty about being a producer is you sit there, and you explore ideas which become a passion, which slowly becomes a reality.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Martial arts is just practice. Being a geisha requires complete control.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I’m terrible on the phone. I just text my friends and family and say, ‘Hey, I’m in town.’”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Wai Lin is the first Bond Girl who is on a par with Bond, someone who can match up with him mentally and physically. From the moment our characters see each other, there is a wariness and a recognition that this person is not who she or he seems to be.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“In a movie, that’s the only time when you’re allowed these kind of fantasies to be lived. Being able to look so cool and be able to fight five bad guys and take them down. When can you do that?”
― Michelle Yeoh
“On ‘Far North,’ we were always aware of being at the whim of mother nature. She’s the biggest star in the film.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“It’s so important for me to do my own stunts. The sense of achievement is so immense. But the studios don’t want to take the risk.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“San Suu’s story will always involve politics, but the essence is the love story.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Martial arts is something you can learn or pick up and think you could do really well.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Some of the martial arts films, the motivation is about martial arts. That’s where it’s coming from. It is a visual, commercial film, to showcase the next stunt, the biggest thing. And character development becomes a side thing.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“We all learn every day, and that’s the magic about film making.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“There might never be another ‘Crouching Tiger.’ There might be something that’s even better than ‘Crouching Tiger.’”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Acting is not just impersonating your character.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Playing Aung San Suu Kyi was a journey in itself. She represents many things for many people and for many reasons. Although I have played many important roles in my life, I can say that this role has been a journey of self-realisation.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I was struck by Suu Kyi’s warmth and generosity. No matter how petite she looks, she exudes amazing strength. More than anything else, I felt like I already knew her, like she was an old friend, because I’d been watching her so intently, and she was exactly what I had figured she would be.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“They won’t take you seriously because you are a girl. These guys had to understand that you are just as tough as them, and you have to take them on.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Movies cater to what the audiences want.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“In one take, I had to do 24 combat sequences, which is hard. It makes you think, ‘I’d better get on my toes again.’”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I did ballet, piano and all that – my brother did martial arts, my passion.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I believe all of us want to do good for our country.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I don’t plan to go out and do action or not do action.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When you’re a teenager, you could do a lot more crazy things, and your body recovers faster.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I love action films, and to be able to put together ‘Silver Hawk’ was so exciting.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Jackie Chan is like a big bro to me.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I love my martial arts and action movies. They give another dimension to the acting world: the emotional plus the physical.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“In many ways, I feel I’m still as physically fit as I was 20 years ago because I’ve always been athletic.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I gravitate towards roles where women find strength in very difficult, uncompromising situations but maintain clarity in mind, discipline at heart, and a certain strength in spirit.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When someone acknowledges you for something that they think about you, it’s a huge compliment.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Sometimes when I’m on the phone, someone will say, ‘Yes, Mr. Yeoh.’ And I’m thinking, ‘I’m not Mr. Yeoh, man.’”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Unfortunately, many parents reject helmets for their kids out of a mistaken perception that helmets are unsafe for children.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Every time I choose to do a movie, I make the decision because of what I think I can learn from it.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“When I made my first film, it was just an adventure. But after my first movie, I guess I got more of a feeling of what was happening around me.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“The first one I did was an action film with Sammo Hung and George Lam, but I had the usual female role for that time: you know, damsel in distress, rescued by the hero.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Playing a sinner is very liberating!”
― Michelle Yeoh
“In Europe and America, you never see a director pick up a camera. They all sit behind monitors.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“Raising awareness for Nepal was and still is an important role for me.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“With an award like the Asian Film Awards, we’ve sent a message saying that ‘Asian Cinema is here, it matters, and more importantly, we are all part of the same fraternity!’ The AFA is truly, then, an award for Asia, by Asia.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I have very supportive parents who said, ‘Go and do what you want to do. Home is always here for you, and if you don’t like it out there, come back. You can always do something different.’ So when you have an option like that, you are able to choose roles or choose the things you want to be in.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“If you were ever a ballerina, you know the pain: just to be able to look like it’s all so light, but when they take off their shoes, it’s all bloody.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“It’s very important that I’m approaching a character that I’ve either not played before, or I can give it a different take.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I believe that the director is really the soul. It is a collaborative effort, but the director is the one who needs to have that vision. It could be a great script, but it starts from there. You need to have good material, at least, but if you don’t have someone with vision, it’s just words.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I’ve taken this year to concentrate fully on the promotion of ‘The Lady.’ This movie has been so meaningful; until we have premiered in every part of the world and encouraged as many people as possible to shine the spotlight on the Burmese people and Daw Suu, I will not have a next project.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I want to be there for all those who are left behind in this world, whether it’s because they are born poor, born a woman, or born in an area affected by devastation.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“’The Lady’ is an incredible love story about how a family was cut off from each other, about sacrifice, about the ability to put the needs of million of people before your own.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“As an actor, you are always looking for roles that will challenge you, and when I came upon Aung San Suu Kyi, it wasn’t just about that but also about stepping into the shoes of someone who means so much to millions of people.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I think that learning Burmese has to have been one of the most challenging things that I have had to do for a movie.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I had an amazing teacher, who was Burmese, and she was living in Paris at the time, and she is one of very few who doesn’t actually receive a credit in the film because she still has family over there.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“It was like baptism by fire. There was no school for studying acting. You just have to take it upon yourself to learn from your peers. It’s about opening your eyes, listening, and watching.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“It’s all choreographed; it’s a routine. So I told everyone I really wanted to try fighting in action films. I had no stunt experience, but I had the dance background, and I was very agile and coordinated. And the best thing about being a newcomer to acting is you can afford to try new things.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“I gathered as much reading material about Aung San Suu Kyi and about Burma as I could. And I read every article and every book she had written. I also had 200 hours of footage of her to watch. I tried to discover who were her heroes and where he desire and strength to pursue democracy in a non-violent fashion came from.”
― Michelle Yeoh
“It’s our responsibility as filmmakers to tell a story that’s a human drama.”
― Michelle Yeoh
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