Michelle Yeoh's Multiverse at 60
Yangcheng Evening News reporter Li Li
Michelle Yeoh, who will be 60 years old in August this year, finally proved that she is not just a "playing star" with a movie "All Cosmos".
The film uses the crazy concept of the multiverse to tell the story of an ordinary Chinese family. In it, Michelle Yeoh plays a woman who is in trouble in her life – her husband is cowardly, her daughter is rebellious, and her long-running laundry is also facing tax problems.
But one day she is told that the multiverse is facing a huge crisis, and she is the one who can save all universes - because she is useless in this universe, she can use her omnipotence in other universes to become this universe The most powerful person.
After its release in North America, "All Universe" has received rave reviews and is considered to be the most surprising film of the year.
And Michelle Yeoh couldn't help shedding tears in an interview with the media: "This is the script I've been waiting for for a long time. I finally have the opportunity to show my family and audience that I can be funny, sad, real - finally someone Knowing that I can do this."
In the past years, she seems to have been living in other "universes".
There, she is the woman who knows kung fu best in everyone's mind.
But somewhere in Michelle Yeoh's heart, she knew that her abilities were more than that.
And when she was about to turn 60 years old, she finally met another self.
【Xiu Lian Universe】 "Not every life decision will be perfect"
In "All Universe", the 55-year-old Chinese-American immigrant Xiulian's career and family collapsed.
On her father's birthday, she had to go to the tax office to explain to the old-fashioned auntie her not-so-good tax issues.
Unexpectedly, he stepped into the elevator of the building, and the cowardly husband changed his body, claiming that he was a version from another universe, and Xiulian was also one of the millions of universes.
It is too late for Xiulian to understand that evil forces have spread in the multiverse, the world is about to be destroyed, and only Xiulian in this universe can save the world...
"Instant Universe" was released in North America on March 25, and the cumulative box office over the past weekend has exceeded 50 million US dollars.
The film is well-received in North America: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7 on IMDB, and praised by critics and audiences alike.
"I saw a hard-working immigrant in the role of Xiulian, who did everything in her power to maintain a sense of closeness in her family and tried to prove to her family that she was a successful person." Impressed, "I have seen the shadow of Xiulian in many people, and I feel obligated to tell their stories."
Different from other films that reflect the living conditions of ethnic minorities in the United States, the expression of "The Universe in a Moment" can be described as "crazy".
There are all kinds of "universes" that make people laugh and even stunned.
For example, the "Hot Dog Universe", where everyone has "hot dog hands" with long, soft but useless fingers, so they can only do everything with their feet; for example, the "Food Story" universe, where she is the A chef, and her competitor, another chef, has a raccoon teaching him how to cook hidden in his chef hat, just like the plot in "Food Story"; and "Wong Kar Wai Universe", in There, Xiulian and her husband did not elope back then, but they reunited after they became famous, and in the dim alley came a Wong Kar Wai-style confession...
"The film has an extremely psychedelic, crazy, and modern expression, but it's still real, and that's the benchmark I've been able to capture the character by," Michelle Yeoh said. She revealed that many times she felt "confused on set". ", "But this is exactly how Xiulian feels in the film, because she has been jumping in different time and space, divided and lost."
Michelle Yeoh never put herself into the role when she acted in the past, "because I have always regarded the role as an independent person with real emotions and life paths."
But when starring in "The Universe in a Moment," she devoted herself to her personal experience, and even began to think about her past like Xiulian: "Am I a loser? Can I do better?"
She admits: "Not every decision you make in life is perfect, but you always want to be wiser because of your past experiences - you can learn from each other and not wrestle in the same place."
【Action Universe】 "I think Jackie Chan may have saved my life"
On August 6, 1962, Michelle Yeoh was born into a Chinese family in Malaysia.
She began studying ballet at the age of four and went on to major in ballet at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, aspiring to be Margot Fontaine.
But because of a spinal injury, she eventually had to say goodbye to ballet.
At the age of 21, Michelle Yeoh returned home after graduation, participated in the selection of Miss Malaysia that year and won the championship.
This brought her attention from the outside world and gave her the opportunity to shoot watch advertisements with Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat respectively the following year.
In the same year, she signed a contract to become an actor under the Debao Film Company and went to Hong Kong for development.
In Hong Kong, Michelle Yeoh got the opportunity to practice martial arts in the Hong family class.
At that time, Hong Kong's kung fu films and action films were popular all over the world, but there were very few female stars who could fight.
Michelle Yeoh dares to fight and fight hard, no matter how difficult the movements are, so she stood out from a group of vase-style actresses, and she went from stuntman to female No. 1 all the way.
Among the films that Michelle Yeoh has made, "Police Story 3: Super Police" in 1992 can be said to show the ultimate in Hong Kong action films.
Before this movie, Michelle Yeoh had been married for four years and had just divorced her ex-husband due to incompatibility.
Tang Jili came and asked her to come out: "I want to make a Jackie Chan movie, and I hope you will participate. This is a female character who can keep pace with Jackie Chan." They met when she was a stunt performer.
But it is not easy to keep pace with Jackie Chan.
Michelle Yeoh still remembers that she had an accident in one of the action scenes, but fortunately, she was not injured.
The design of the action was originally: Michelle Yeoh first rolled on top of a box truck, and then fell from the back of the truck. At this time, Jackie Chan approached her from the back of the truck in a car, and Michelle Yeoh had to fall directly on the hood of the car. , shattered the windshield, and finally rolled to the ground from the front of the braking car.
She thought: Well, it looks like all I have to do is roll along.
But when she actually stood on the truck, she realized that everything was different from what she thought: she was shaking, the car was shaking, everything was moving.
Worst of all, the mechanism that was supposed to shatter the windshield suddenly failed when she flipped over to Jackie Chan's hood, which prevented Jackie from grabbing her from the front of the car.
And Michelle Yeoh rolled from the side of the car to the ground.
Fortunately, Jackie Chan struggled to grab a handful of her clothes.
"If it wasn't for that grab, I would probably have landed on my head, which would have been the biggest accident I've ever had since filming." Michelle Yeoh was not afraid, but smiled, "I think he should have saved me that time. Life - don't tell him!"
There is also a thrilling car chase scene. Michelle Yeoh hangs on the outside of a Chinese bus. After several consecutive crashes, her body was repeatedly thrown high and dropped, but she never let go.
Michelle Yeoh revealed the secret afterwards: "Actually, the serial crash was not a design, but an accident - a car hit the wrong steering wheel!"
"Before shooting action scenes, we usually don't rehearse. If we want to shoot, just shoot, don't waste time." Michelle Yeoh said with a smile, "I don't think I will do such crazy moves anymore. But back then, a lot of How do you know if you don't try?"
In "Police Story 3: Super Cop", Michelle Yeoh even did a stunt on a motorcycle flying to the top of a moving train.
After that scene, Jackie Chan ran to her and said, "Do you want me to die?" Michelle Yeoh was puzzled: "Why do you say that? We are brothers!" Jackie Chan replied, "You can do more games like this. I have no food to eat!" Michelle Yeoh later recalled triumphantly, perhaps because of her stimulation, Jackie Chan added a thrilling action scene suspended under a helicopter in this play.
However, although you chase after me, the two of them have always maintained a good balance, which makes the two of them still close friends until now.
[Kung Fu Universe] "Ang Lee asked me to use all the weapons"
This is one of the "universes" that Michelle Yeoh is most familiar with.
Here, she starred in Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which won the Oscar for best foreign language film, and became the "Goddess of Kung Fu" in the eyes of Western audiences.
Michelle Yeoh called "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" a "poem of action movies".
She modestly says that if the film has anything to do with it, it is first and foremost due to Ang Lee — especially his vision, and his passion for the world of martial arts.
"We all grew up watching kung fu movies, and Ang Lee is also very fascinated by it. He even wanted to use every kung fu genre and every weapon in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Michelle Yeoh said in the first The second time she came to the filming set of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", she thought Ang Lee was joking.
But when she saw all kinds of weapons piled up in the room, she was stunned.
It wasn't until Li An said, "I hope you use all these weapons once." She realized that he was really playing.
In the end, a large part of these weapons were used in Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi's "turn your face, turn your face".
Although many people appreciate the breadth and depth of Chinese Kung Fu in this scene, Michelle Yeoh hopes that everyone will not forget the subtle emotional conflict devised by Ang Lee behind it.
She believes: "Whether it's a kung fu movie or a Western movie, behind all the action scenes, there is always a dramatic tension. And this sense of drama usually comes from the emotional connection between the two characters."
【Bond Girl Universe】
"To add a little depth to this series"
The consensus that many fans can reach is that Lin Hui, played by Michelle Yeoh in "007: Empire of Tomorrow", has been unsurpassed by other "Bond Girls" for many years, not only because she is extremely good at fighting, but also because this Chinese female character shows The female power that was rarely seen in Western films at the time.
In this 1997 Bond film, "007" is played by Pierce Brosnan.
"The '007' series is a man's world. I believe there were countless men who wanted to be James Bond at the time," Michelle Yeoh said. "But before the crew approached me, I thought they were ready to give the series. Add a little depth and quality."
Before Michelle Yeoh played Lin Hui, the image of the Bond girl was generally like a sexy vase.
However, in "007 Tomorrow's Empire", there are many classic bridges that make everyone subvert this stereotype.
For example, there is a scene in which Bond flirts with Lin Hui under the open water faucet, but is rejected by Lin Hui and is locked by her on the water pipe.
In addition, in many scenes, Lin Hui and Bond fought side by side, not far behind.
It is also through "007: Tomorrow's Empire" that Western filmmakers first saw the power of the Eastern action team.
Michelle Yeoh recalled that when her own action team came to the set for the first time, everyone sat leisurely in the rest car.
Michelle Yeoh was somewhat anxious, but the team told her calmly: "We have already designed five sets of moves before we came. Where's the director? Ask him to come and see which set he wants to use."
"We don't have that much money, and we don't have that long to prepare, but our work efficiency is very high." Michelle Yeoh said that later Western crews gradually got used to the magic of these Eastern teams - for example, it was clear that Michelle Yeoh had to start from the second Lou Fei came down, but her team felt that there was no need to hang Wei Ya for her.
【Michelle Yeoh Universe】
"Once you give up, you lose completely"
Today's Michelle Yeoh will still work hard, but time has given her wisdom, and it has also allowed others to see her potential in other "universes".
She has more opportunities to show her diversity.
Before "All Universe", she actually played an Asian mother in "Crazy Rich Asians".
In this film starring all Asians, Michelle Yeoh didn't use any effort, and only used her eyes and lines to calm the scene.
In one scene, the mother plays mahjong with her son's girlfriend. "There is no punching and kicking, but the communication between the two women is just as powerful."
Before receiving "Crazy Rich Asians", Michelle Yeoh, who had read the original book, was worried that the style of the film would be too exaggerated.
But director Zhu Haowei said: "If I shoot like that, my mother will kill me." Michelle Yeoh smiled: "If he knows what his mother thinks, he should be able to shoot it right." The word of mouth of "Crazy Rich Asians" is controversial after its release , but Michelle Yeoh still thinks this is a very meaningful work, "because after "The Joy Luck Club", there is no more all-Asian movie in Hollywood."
Michelle Yeoh was also cautious when taking on the filming of "The All Cosmos".
Although she knew she would take over the film after reading the script, Michelle Yeoh insisted on flying to Los Angeles to meet Daniel Schinnett, one of the directors, in person.
"I have to see the warmth in the other person's eyes," she said. "I won't leave my beloved family for three months now because of a movie he doesn't even believe in himself."
She finally succeeded, and the film made the film industry see Michelle Yeoh's potential.
She concluded: "In my opinion, Xiulian is a person who will not give up easily, and I am also such a person. Because once you give up, you will lose completely."