Michelle Yeoh Quotes

“If you read a lot of Chinese literature, there has always been very strong women figures - warriors, swordswomen - who defended honor and loyalty with the men. So, it's not new to our culture - it's always been very much a part of it. It's good that now the Western audience would have a different image of the Chinese women.”

— Michelle Yeoh

As an actor, you hope to find roles that are challenging to you as an artist. Then if you are truly blessed, you will find that it also carries a message that you can impart to your audience.

— Michelle Yeoh

“When I watch myself on-screen, I always look for the flaws.”

— Michelle Yeoh

If I only get to play Malaysian roles, there wouldn't be very many roles for me to play.

— Michelle Yeoh

“Before you get into the mind, you have to inhabit the physicality. Body language is a great way of speaking.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Body language is more fascinating to me than actual language.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Every time you do a movie, it's important for your career, your reputation.”

— Michelle Yeoh

For me, the director is the most important thing. He is steering the boat. If you don't trust him, you won't be able to give him your all.

— Michelle Yeoh

“I always thought of myself as James Bond.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“I don't plan to go out and do action or not do action.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“I grew up in Malaysia, and Bollywood is really big there. As a result, I've grown up watching a lot of Hindi movies.”

— Michelle Yeoh

I kick and punch quite hard, and it surprises people.

— Michelle Yeoh

I thoroughly enjoy a good hot bath. That is my ultimate luxury.

— Michelle Yeoh

If you were ever a ballerina, you know the pain: just to be able to look like it's all so light, but when they take off their shoes, it's all bloody.

— Michelle Yeoh

“In Europe and America, you never see a director pick up a camera. They all sit behind monitors.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“In many ways, I feel I'm still as physically fit as I was 20 years ago because I've always been athletic.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“In one take, I had to do 24 combat sequences, which is hard. It makes you think, 'I'd better get on my toes again.'”

— Michelle Yeoh

“It can only be true love when you enable your other half to be better, to be the person they're destined to be.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Let's empower men and help them take a stand to stop acts of violence against women.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“On 'Far North,' we were always aware of being at the whim of mother nature. She's the biggest star in the film.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“The Asia and the Pacific region is facing an epidemic of road death and injury, but we also have innovative Asian road safety solutions.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“There is so much we can do to save lives on our roads.”

— Michelle Yeoh

There might never be another 'Crouching Tiger.' There might be something that's even better than 'Crouching Tiger.'

— Michelle Yeoh

“They won't take you seriously because you are a girl. These guys had to understand that you are just as tough as them, and you have to take them on.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“This world belongs to all of us, and all sexes should be able to live in respect and harmony.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Unfortunately, many parents reject helmets for their kids out of a mistaken perception that helmets are unsafe for children.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“We all learn every day, and that's the magic about film making.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“When I made my first film, it was just an adventure. But after my first movie, I guess I got more of a feeling of what was happening around me.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“When men have a smile on their faces, that does a lot for me.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“When someone acknowledges you for something that they think about you, it's a huge compliment.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Why do we have 'Transformers 5 or 6?' Because young kids will go and see it four or five times.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“You have to have integrity.”

— Michelle Yeoh

Your timing has to be very accurate. I've done a lot of wire work before. I can see that experience makes a big difference.

— Michelle Yeoh

“Action shouldn't just be seeing all those crashes. You can blow up a cathedral; next time you blow up the Great Wall of China, and then what? But when you're in love with your characters, the smallest action becomes an important action.”

— Michelle Yeoh

For an actress, everything is always fine - you are looked after, you have your trailer, and everything provided. But the crew are the ones out there in the wilds all the time, hours before and after us.

— Michelle Yeoh

“I believe that the director is really the soul. It is a collaborative effort, but the director is the one who needs to have that vision. It could be a great script, but it starts from there. You need to have good material, at least, but if you don't have someone with vision, it's just words.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“I gravitate towards roles where women find strength in very difficult, uncompromising situations but maintain clarity in mind, discipline at heart, and a certain strength in spirit.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“I was struck by Suu Kyi's warmth and generosity. No matter how petite she looks, she exudes amazing strength. More than anything else, I felt like I already knew her, like she was an old friend, because I'd been watching her so intently, and she was exactly what I had figured she would be.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“I'm not a fashion victim, and I don't closely follow trends. I dress the way I feel comfortable because, at the end of the day, you have to be comfortable.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“My grandmother had flawless skin just from using basic skincare - an old herbal remedy in the form of a white powder and cream. I don't actually know what was in it because when you're young, you're not interested in skincare, and I didn't want to walk around the house with a white face.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Playing Aung San Suu Kyi was a journey in itself. She represents many things for many people and for many reasons. Although I have played many important roles in my life, I can say that this role has been a journey of self-realisation.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Some of the martial arts films, the motivation is about martial arts. That's where it's coming from. It is a visual, commercial film, to showcase the next stunt, the biggest thing. And character development becomes a side thing.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“The first one I did was an action film with Sammo Hung and George Lam, but I had the usual female role for that time: you know, damsel in distress, rescued by the hero.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“'The Lady' is an incredible love story about how a family was cut off from each other, about sacrifice, about the ability to put the needs of million of people before your own.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“There is no guaranteed formula. And that's one of the interesting things about filmmaking. You could put $115 million in, and it doesn't guarantee success.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“Wai Lin is the first Bond Girl who is on a par with Bond, someone who can match up with him mentally and physically. From the moment our characters see each other, there is a wariness and a recognition that this person is not who she or he seems to be.”

— Michelle Yeoh

“We always see Aung San as a strong, tough woman. There are two stories running in parallel. You see the contradictions between the East and the West, and you see someone who does mundane and normal things - someone who's supposed to be a housewife - and then someone who's become important and imprisoned.”

— Michelle Yeoh

When it is real person, especially who means so much to millions of people, you have an obligation, you cannot take liberties, you cannot pretend to know. But we are telling the love story of Michael Aris and his wife, the story of a beautiful, lush country, and the emotions of a mother.

— Michelle Yeoh

“With an award like the Asian Film Awards, we've sent a message saying that 'Asian Cinema is here, it matters, and more importantly, we are all part of the same fraternity!' The AFA is truly, then, an award for Asia, by Asia.”

— Michelle Yeoh

You never know whether the subject matter will click with the audience at that particular time. I wish there was a formula, you know, 'That plus that equals success.'

— Michelle Yeoh