Michelle YeohPhoto: Rich Fury (Getty Images)
Ahead of the theatrical debut of her first high-grossing feature film, Everything Everywhere, Michelle Yeoh took a look back at her long and varied career in the industry, including when she almost quit.
While filming the 1996 film The Stuntman, Yeoh suffered a serious back injury, which left her torso and neck in suspenders.
“Everyone thought I broke my back,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. Her friends encouraged her to take care of herself and think about the strict work commitments she signed up for. “You like to work, but this is crazy. We feel so bad, but only you can help yourself.”
While healing from trauma, Yeoh faced an existential crisis and asked herself, “Why am I doing this? Is it worth it? If I really suffered, then what?
Then martial arts lover and director Quentin Tarantino flew to Hong Kong on a mission to meet Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Yeoh. After much debate, Yeoh agreed to a five-minute conversation with Tarantino. During their conversation, Tarantino told the actress, “I’ve seen all your films,” before proceeding to replay his favorite action scenes frame by frame.
“The next thing I realized was that we were talking and I was coming back to life,” Yeoh says. “I will never forget this. It was like, “I love what I do.” And that was the turning point when I felt, “I’ve paid my dues.”
She then joined Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, which solidified her star power. On the set of the American production, Yeoh was told that she may not have had to do all the stunts herself. “Yes, you have additional skills that I hope we can use in your work, but you have to make sure you’re here as an actress,” director Roger Spottiswoode told her.
From director duo Daniels, “Everything Everywhere, All At Once” arrives in theaters April 8. The film also stars Ke Hui Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong, Jenny Slate and Harry Shum Jr.