Malaysian-born actress Michelle Yeoh has made a passionate appeal to film industry gatekeepers, saying “Let us in!” Speaking in an in-conversati
Malaysian-born actress Michelle Yeoh has made a passionate appeal to film industry gatekeepers, saying “Let us in!”
Speaking in an in-conversation event at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, Yeoh said, “Open the gates and let us in! As storytellers, as filmmakers, especially as women, what we’re saying is just give us equal opportunities, let us prove ourselves. If we can’t have a seat at the table because we’re not capable, that’s one thing; but we’re not even given a seat at the table, we’re not even given the opportunity to try, and that’s not good.”
Yeoh was speaking in the context of a discussion on Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, for which she won the Oscar for best actress last year.
“I’ve kicked my way to shatter the glass ceilings,” said Yeoh later of her career. “I will continue to do that; I don’t think the challenges are over, we are beginning to see changes, we are beginning to welcome more diversity, we are beginning to see more women especially behind the cameras.”
The actress recalled Jackie Chan – a collaborator of Yeoh’s earlier in her career – was originally supposed to play the main role of a middle-aged Chinese immigrant. “They wrote it for a guy,” said Yeoh. “To be able to finance a movie like that, it’s easier.”
When Chan was unable to do the movie, the filmmakers “threw the script away, and said ‘what is the most important thing we face? – our mothers!’”, said Yeoh.
Everything Everywhere All At Once made over $140m at the global box office, against a reported budget of less than $25m. “If we don’t take risks, we’re not going to come into something like Everything Everywhere All At Once,” said Yeoh. “We take risks with big movies that flop, so why can’t we take risks with small movies?”
The actress also discussed John M. Chu’s 2018 romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians in this context. “When we made it, it ticked all the wrong boxes,” said Yeoh. “All Asian cast – oh boy. Rom-com – oh boy. A whole bunch of Asians running around – no! But we have to go against the groove; why do you just spoon-feed, force-feed your audiences? There are so many out there who want to see it.”
Yeoh said Netflix originally made an offer on the film, which Chu turned down – to its benefit. “If it went straight to Netflix, it wouldn’t be what it is today because we need the cinema,” said Yeoh. “It’s so important to have that shared experience; when you make an effort to go, spend that hour and a half – it’s time that you chose to do something for you too.”
The actress also discussed her role in Universal’s hit Wicked at length, including the bonus of returning to the set of the two-part musical in-between an ultimately successful Oscar campaign for Everything Everywhere…
“To come back to the set of Wicked was grounding,” said Yeoh. “When you’re doing the Oscar thing it’s wild, you’re so scared you’ll put the wrong foot forwards and jeopardise your movie.
Yeoh added that the campaign was “the first time I’ve done something like that and I hope it’s not the last time.”
She spoke fondly of her Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo – who spoke earlier in the day at Red Sea – and Ariana Grande.
“Cynthia and Ariana – for me they are ying and yang,” said Yeoh. “They are always singing. Ariana is like a hummingbird, always flitting and flying. It was such a happy set – John [M. Chu] is such a good leader.”
She also revealed that Chu got Grande and Erivo to send her a message before she had met them, to convince her to take the part of Shiz University head Madame Morrible. “They said, ‘Michelle, it is imperative you join us now!’” said Yeoh. “I joined them!”
The Red Sea in-conversation series continues with Eva Longoria this evening. A scheduled session with Vin Diesel has been cancelled.
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