Yeoh loves to kick butt -- on screen only
By Shogo Hagiwara

Actress Michelle Yeoh literally kicked her way into the world of action movies. When she started out in the 1980s, Hong Kong's kung-fu movie scene was completely male-dominated. The likes of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and Yuan Biao starred in one flick after another that, with their stunning acrobatic choreography, captured the imagination of many moviegoers.

For the women who appeared in these films all that was left to do was scream--and Yeoh did just that.

"Girls were always the victims, screaming something like 'Help me!,' you know, that kind of role," says Yeoh, who was recently in Tokyo to promote her movie, The Touch (Japan title: Legend).

"In fact, my very first movie was with Sammo Hung, where I played a victim, you know, a girl with long hair who is rescued by the guys."

It was from there that Yeoh's fight to become one of the brightest kung-fu stars began. Fortunately for her, her film company, D&G Films, was looking to break the monopoly held by Jackie Chan & Co. by offering an alternative choice to moviegoers.

"This company was like, 'So what can we do that is slightly different?'" Yeoh recalls.

And what it decided to do was cast an actress in the lead role of an action movie.

"They called up director Corey Yuen and said, 'We have an action film for you to do [Yes, Madam!].' When he looked at my name in the lead role, he went like, 'This is a girl!' So he was actually very worried," she says, laughing.

Yeoh had no proper kung-fu training back then, but it didn't bother her in the least, she says.

"Ever since I was a child, I've been trained as a dancer and ballerina. I was also active as a sports person. So, all my training in different arenas has given me a very solid foundation," Yeoh says. "I suppose when I do a particular move, it's very much my own style of moving. It's not as powerful as that of Jet Li...it's a little bit more graceful and dancelike."

Yeoh shows off her kung-fu skills in The Touch, too. In that movie, the Malaysian-born actress plays Yin Fei, who sets out with her brother Tong (Brandon Chang) to retrieve ancient artifacts from evil treasure hunters in China.

With such movies as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies to her credit, Yeoh is known as the queen of martial arts. She says she doesn't mind that title simply because she loves starring in action flicks.

"When you are doing an action film, that's when you can do what you cannot do in real life," she says. "Honestly, if there is a fight [in real life], I will walk away from it because I don't think anybody wins. In a real fight, you'd end up in hospital with a broken nose.

"But in movies, you can beat up bad guys. I can be one girl facing six guys at the same time. I enjoy it!"

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'Geisha' controversy


Another film that Yeoh will be starring in later this year is Rob Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha (Japan title: Sayuri).

The film has stirred up controversy because three of the main Japanese characters are played by Chinese actresses, including Yeoh.

After the casting was announced, Yeoh found herself defending both the film and the filmmakers, saying Japanese audiences shouldn't be discouraged from watching the movie because of its casting.

But when asked about it during this interview, Yeoh seemed much more relaxed about the subject.

"Yes, I was asked about the casting," she says, as if straining to remember. "If you look at Hollywood films, there are no boundaries on race. Liam Neeson played a German [in Schindler's List], Ben Kingsley played Gandhi [in Gandhi].

"It's not what is written in your passport; it's what is seen on the screen," she adds.

Compared to the U.S. and British press, Japanese media--and Japanese in general--don't seem bothered by the much-publicized casting of Memoirs.

"It's like other people [outside Japan] are having an issue," Yeoh says. "Just sit back. Wait until the movie comes out. Maybe you would be wonderfully surprised. After all, it is a movie."


"The Touch" is currently playing.

(April 21, 2005)


Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre