Now 53, Miss Malaysia 1983 and actress Michelle Yeoh is definitely no spring chicken when she shot “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” which was shown in the U.S. on select IMX theaters and Netflix a week ago and in China on Friday.
She was only in her late 30s when she shot the first “Crouching Tiger” movie that wowed the North American movie market in 2000 and garnered awards. Yeoh credits daily exercise which made it not difficult for her to return to the martial arts world despite the 16-year gap between the two movies.
“I keep myself in pretty good shape because I don’t have to wait until I have an action movie to do before I get into shape. I exercise every day. I hike, I practice my martial arts,” Yeoh told the New York Daily News.
Although “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” established Yeoh as an actress, since most of western producers and directors failed to utilize the talent of Asian actors even if Hollywood had a strong appetite for martial arts because of the blockbuster 2001 movie, she instead did more Chinese films.
Yeoh pointed out the lack of roles for Asian actors at that time in Hollywood. She felt that Hollywood needed an excuse to have an Asian actor in the cast, with the role linked to Chinatown or gangs to justify their inclusion. She noted that while there are more roles being given now to Asian actors, “you still don’t see that many Asian faces.”
Her background as a ballet dancer made Yeoh a hit among Hong Kong action film producers as she easily adapted to flying and fight scenes. But as an action star, it was inevitable that she would sustain injuries. In 1995, she fell down two floors while filming “Ah Kam” and hit her head that the actress had to be hospitalized for three weeks. Her other shooting-related injuries include cracked ribs, knee ligaments that were torn and an artery that was ruptured because of a kick in the leg sustained in a fight sequence.
Yeoh is the only actor in the first movie to appear in the second one. Harvey Weinstein, producer of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny,” pointed out, “I do believe she was the right person to continue to tell the tale of this martial arts world.”
Weinstein was proven true since the sequel grossed $32 million in the U.S. after a week of exhibition, double the gross of the first movie, reported Deadline. Weinstein, Netflix and China Film Group co-produced the movie. In China, it earned $10 million on opening day, second to mega blockbuster “The Mermaid” which has over $450 million in box office since it opened on Feb. 8, Lunar New Year.