Michelle Yeoh: Well, it's not gun-toting, bomb-throwing kind of action. It's not pok-pok-pok-pok-pok [imitates a machine gun] action. It's also unlike Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in which the characters use qinggong (the nimble-footed art of lightness). That's because the story is set in contemporary times, and I don't believe anyone will believe that you have that kind of ability today. My character uses her physical ability as an acrobat to climb up walls. And when she fights, she uses a scarf to help her swing from place to place.

Does the movie have a message?

Michelle Yeoh: The film is not about treasure-hunting. It goes much deeper than that. It's about protecting something that you truly believe in and, at the end of the day, return it to its rightful place. What it's trying to say is that we have to believe in ourselves before we can achieve anything.

Why your shift to producing now?

Michelle Yeoh: It's not a shift - I'm not giving up acting. This industry is not about one-man shows. It's about finding the right partner because I don't know everything. So if i did not meet co-producer Thomas Chung [Gex-X Cops, Purple Storm, 2000 AD] at a film meeting in 1999, I would not have made this step.

Is this a step towards more control over your work?

Michelle Yeoh: Producing is not about being in control. I've gone into production because I have great passion for the film industry.... Another good reason is that I would like to see stronger female roles. A lot of roles written for the guy are meatier. It's very obvious, isn't it, to see who the attention goes to? Perhaps this is because there are more male scriptwriters and studio heads.

Why does Hollywood think Asian women are only good at fighting?

Michelle Yeoh: They think Asians are only good at fighting, period! Typecasting is always something you have to be careful about. I love action films. I will continue to do action films. But not for action's sake, not because the plot's too quiet. There has to be a propelling reason for action.

You are disciplined and confident. The advantages of experience?

Michelle Yeoh: Everything comes with experience. But of course I was once a giggly teenager. God forbid that there's a teenager who's not giggly. When you're a kid is the best time to behave like a kid. But it's important to know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I don't climb upwards, I go forward. But Michelle Yeoh is a public persona. So how everyone sees me is very different.

How do you see yourself?

Michelle Yeoh: I don't let the flashbulbs take me a few feet higher! [chuckles] When I look at myself, I find a happy contented person. I don't sit there and think of what I don't have. For me, two things in life are guaranteed - life and death. Every day is a gift because you don't know what's going to happen two years from now. But if I sit here for two years and do not appreciate what I have today, I am a fool.

Has being Asian ever worked against you?

Michelle Yeoh: I will never let it work against me.

Has it ever worked for you?

Michelle Yeoh: I will make it work for me.