Michelle Yeoh - On typecasting, fertility and THAT Oscars speech
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Why she still does stunts — and safety lessons
Michelle discusses her love of doing stunts, the importance of protection, and respecting physical limits as an actor.
Michelle Yeoh has created a legendary body of work that defies easy categorisation. You’ll know her from cult classic Kung Fu Cinema, Everything Everywhere, All At Once - the film that made her the first Asian woman to be given the Academy Award for Best Actress at the time. She was cast as a Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies, then starred in the global box office hit Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the brilliantly chilling future mother-in-law in Crazy Rich Asians. This month sees her returning to the role in Wicked, as Madame Morrible.
In person she is warm and engaging, with a fascinating story to tell. We talk about why mistakes help us grow, why she felt like a ‘failure’ for not having children (something we have in common), stage fright - and how she almost quit after a life-threatening stunt injury. Plus: racism, typecasting and why her mother is the REAL diva.
✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
01:16 The Journey to Hollywood
02:36 The Role of Family
03:52 On Playing Iconic Roles
08:10 Facing Personal Challenges
24:20 Think Wider: Breaking Family Expectations
25:38 Pursuing Dreams: From Ballet to Acting
27:16 The Hong Kong Film Industry: Early Challenges
27:33 Breaking Stereotypes: Women in Action Films
34:25 Hollywood's Limitations: Typecasting and Minority Roles
37:30 Facing Racism: The Ongoing Struggle
39:22 Stunt Accident: A Turning Point
47:57 Resilience and Reflection: Lessons Learned
💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
When you're down, you learn. You become resilient, you become stronger and you learn from mistakes. Don't wallow in them.
I truly believe ups and downs are like a heartbeat. You can't just [go] one way. Right? That would be a flatline.
I believe in always moving forwards, because if you stay still you're just stagnant and you're just waiting for the inevitable.
An act of kindness or compassion goes a long, long way in our world and we are in so desperate need of that.
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Wicked: For Good is in cinemas from 21st November
Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
📚 WANT MORE?
Sharon Horgan - on quitting art college and drama school, the impact of divorce and being in her 50s https://link.chtbl.com/hR7kycoN
Andrew Scott - on childhood failure, not finishing university and heteronormativity https://link.chtbl.com/18dVhMb_
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👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth:
Instagram: @elizabday
TikTok: @howtofailpod
Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod
Website: www.elizabethday.org
Elizabeth and Michelle answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: howtofailpod.com
Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com
Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Engineer: Matias Torres
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.
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