Michelle Yeoh explains why James Bond fired him for two years. The actor starred alongside Pierce Brosnan in 1997 Tomorrow never dies Bond girl as Wai Lin. Born in Malaysia, Tomorrow never dies It was Yeoh’s first film after moving to the US to pursue his acting career. Although Tomorrow never dies While Yeoh gained international recognition, her road to success in Hollywood was not easy as she was reluctant to accept roles that stereotyped her.
talk to People magazineMichelle Yeoh explains why James Bond fired him for two years. Yeoh describes the aftermath of the shoot Never die tomorrows, and how he postured it a “sweet” girl, with the stereotypical roles offered to her later. Check out his explanation below:
“The first movie I did after I came to America was ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ with Pierce Brosnan. At that time James Bond was only known as ‘macho’ and girls just had cute names… At that time “People in the industry couldn’t tell if I was Chinese or Japanese or Korean or even if I spoke English. They were too loud and too slow. I didn’t work for almost two years before Crouching Tiger, just because I couldn’t fit into the stereotypical roles that were put forward to me.”
How Michelle Yeoh is breaking stereotypes
Hollywood has a complicated history of casting Asian actors in roles that perpetuate harmful stereotypes. with James Bond no exceptions. As Yeoh points out, Asian women were often cast despite their diverse backgrounds. They are usually presented as both “dragon ladies,” “china dolls” or “tiger mothers” in film and television. Dragon ladies were seen as strong, insecure, domineering, mysterious and sensually attractive, while China dolls were the opposite; submissive, sensitive and overly emotional sex objects. Tiger mothers are authoritarian figures and run a strict household. While these stereotypes still exist today, Yeoh has broken the mold throughout his career.
Refusing to accept stereotypical roles james bond, Yeoh’s filmography sees her in films that promote strong female leads. She has done action films and independent films that focus on her strength and power rather than her feminine charms. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon give him a chance breaking the boundaries of traditional gender roles. After he rose to fame, Yeoh made it into mainstream movies with his latest twists Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Discovery allowing him to further break the mold.
Yeoh’s role as Evelyn Wang Everything Everywhere At Once it may best show how far he has come in avoiding stereotypes. Her Golden Globe Award-winning performance makes her the first Asian actor to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. While Evelyn Wang may be seen as an ordinary woman, her story is still important, as Yeoh pointed out in a recent acceptance speech for Asian women “I want to be seen … I want to be heard.” It took Yeoh years to see this level then success James Bondshe paved an important path for women like her.
Source: People