Even in terrible films she is great. We talk to the awarded Oscar Michelle Yeoh

This is the undisputed legend of action cinema and its official queen. As the first in the history of the American Film Academy, the Asian (and Malaysian) actress won for the leading role, the same film “Everything at once” brought her a golden globe. Considering her achievements, it is easy to forget that she began her career in show business as a beauty queen and a model in advertising watches with Jacki Chan. Nevertheless, this spot drew the attention of film producers from Hong Kong, who noticed its potential. This is how she went to the action cinema and almost from the very beginning she was famous for plays in her stunt scenes (although she is already 60., she still does it!).

How Michelle Yeoh became an international star

Although the international audience met her better in 1997 as a bond girl in “Tomorrow she never dies”, she did not fall victim to the famous curse: that the actress after participating in the spy series then has problems finding a job. In the same year, Yeoh played in the historical drama “Sister Soong”, which the director Ang Lee was urgent. He was impressed and offered her to play “Crunken Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in his film. Her role delighted viewers and critics and brought the first nomination for the BAFTA award. In 2002, the actress founded her own producer company and continued working in international productions. She performed, among others In “Memoirs of Gejszy”, the film “Mummy: the tomb of the Emperor of the Dragon” or the drama “Lady” directed by Luc Besson.

He is her great admirer. To the extent that her comedy “Police Tale 3: Superglin”, where she played with Jackie Chan, was a huge inspiration for him when he worked on the cult film “Kill Bill”. Since the director loves Michelle Yeoh so much, why did he not fill her in this film? The actress asked him about it and in one of the interviews she told her how he cleverly explained to her: “He was very wise. He asked me: Who would believe that Uma Thurman was able to drain you a bang and defeat in battle?” – “Town & Country” journalist. It was also the director who convinced Michelle to come back to playing after she was thinking about withdrawing from the profession after a serious back injury from 1996.

She started her affair only in 2015 – then she played in the series for the first time. His name was “versus: Operation Świt” and he talked about British intelligence agents. In 2016, Yeoh firmly entered the world of “Star Trek” and took the role of captain Philippy Georgiou in the series “Star Trek: Discovery”. Yeoh in production performed for three seasons and quickly became a favorite of viewers, she also gained the recognition of critics. In “Discovery” he also appears as an alternative incarnation of the same character and this is what a separate series was to focus on it, which was directed for production in 2019. Nevertheless, the project was suspended by Pandemia, and then due to numerous professional obligations Yeoh, the series was converted into a television movie “Star Trek: Section 31”. Polish viewers can watch it from February 21 on the Skyshowtime platform. On the occasion of the premiere, we managed to talk with the Oscar -winning actress.

Oscar -winning Michelle Yeoh tells us about the new heroine. “Walking weapon”

Justyna Bryczkowska: I read that you wanted to make a spin-off about Captain Georgiou basically since you started playing “Star Trek: Discovery”. Instead of the series, however, the movie “Star Trek: Section 31” came out, in which you play her alternative, theoretically negative, incarnation from the mirror universe, Empress Georgiou. What makes this character so special to you?

Michelle Yeoh: Empress Georgiou is a character that I have never played before, which I realized exactly when I began to visualize her when preparing for “Section 31”. I have to thank the scriptwriters “Star Trek: Discovery” because they gave me a very solid starting material. Captain Philippa Georgiou was an officer of the Star Fleet, he commanded the USS Shenzhou ship and had a strong, almost maternal relationship with xeno-Antropopol coin, the main heroine of the series Michael Burnham. She also had a lot of good and empathy, so when she died, it was devastating for me. And then I found out that Phillip, however, did not die so to the end and she was coming back. After returning, however, it got a bit terrible, because it appears as an empress Georgiou. Literally the first thing that he speaks to Burnham is the question “Why don’t you bow your empress?”. This is very cool and alarming, means that this character is someone you have to count with and be careful with her. The further her thread went, the more this incarnation forced me to think about what makes us define someone as a bad person at a fundamental level. It is easy for us to say that the empress is bad. But why? How did it happen? What makes such a person become? Why does this georgiu want to be like that?

Then you start analyzing the mirror universe, from which it comes and you see that you either kill or you will be killed yourself. You must be alert all the time, have eyes around your head. And she is the most terrible of the terrible, because she annihilates all populations and planets, after all, nobody does that. Meanwhile, the empress was simply conditioned to do so. It was very interesting for me to explore such a character and find out where and what you can come to. Can you do something in a new direction with all this facilities and how will it earn for us? Together with the producers, we decided that a person like she is also perfectly mismatched to the section 31 from special tasks operating outside the regulations, but also paradoxically, thanks to this, it goes well there.

Will you explain how you understand this?

Remember that the Empress in the meantime abandoned her throne, and when we meet her again, he runs a bar somewhere at the end of the world and outside the federation. He now operates in the gray zone and he really doesn’t feel like at home. He can also bend various rules without any problems – this idea has spoken to us and we talked about it for six years. In the film script, I liked the most that there was a place for us to learn about the past of this Philippy Georgiou from the mirror universe, which by definition is the reverse of what we know from the base universe of “Star Trek”. Now we know what Philippa had to do and sacrifice to stay there, we also show that she has changed over the years and now she would not necessarily make the same decisions. Her journey leads through dark and terrible places, but their exploration is very interesting.

When I watched this movie, I noticed that in some respects it resembles old Bondow spy films, with the difference that the action takes place in space. So what was the most interesting for you or gave you the most fun?

I was surrounded by people who know and love the world of “Star Trek”, so the atmosphere at work was almost family. I knew that I could turn to them and ask how we wanted to shoot the action scene so that it does not resemble what we have seen many times. How will we make the space in which we move is different. Producer Alex Kurtzman and director Olatunde Osunsanmi found Paul Kirby, who is new in the family of “Star Trek”, but designed great plans and set design. His design of the bar, which is also the new Philippy house, is great. Gersha Phillips designed the costumes and uniforms of members of the Star Fleet since I met her on the set “Star Trek: Discovery”. Here in “Section 31” we managed to make my costumes fight with my heroine. Because Philippa Georgiou is a walking weapon and we wanted to show it in how it dresses. In this way, we came up with a necklace that can change into a dagger. Together with the props, we had a great time, inventing more gadgets for her: her fazery and weapons differ from what other characters use. Working with such people enabled me to postpone the next boundaries and discover new opportunities – and yet such exploration is a pure essence of “Star Trek”, right? “Boldly go where no man has arrived” is a classic motto in this world.

Because I am from Poland, I have to smuggle here the thread of your role in the series “The Witcher: Blood Origin” in the context of the combat scenes you mentioned. As is well known, you play in your stunt scenes yourself and you conscientiously prepare for them. In that case, do you feel that Philippa is moving differently than, for example, the character you have just played in “The Witcher”?

I had a lot of fun when we filmed it! But you are right, every time I prepare for a new role, I have to see this character with my stunt coach first. At “Section 31” I worked with Chris Maguire and his team, with whom we also know each other since the time of “Discovery”. They feel my approach and way of thinking well. They are great partners and help me come up with how to lead this process so that we can show viewers something new and other than before. With this mirror Phillipa, we decided to do so that what she is wearing and carried with him is its extension and complements her movements. Because he is cunning and is also a talented engineer. He can build his own weapon in such a way that no one will understand how it works. This approach opened a gate to us to play with another combat style. After all, the fight with the use of the cape is fundamentally different from the fight with bare hands. You use it as a lock and masks, your hands can hide behind it and mislead the user.

At “The starting point was that my heroine is an elf from a clan famous for her swords and art of exceptional fencing. It was very mystical and mysterious, we wanted to show that her people worshiped the power flowing from the ground. So when she moved, it reminded Almost flying. To me, through the movement of the heroine, understand the drama of the characters, what she has passed and what he has to measure.

Finally, I would like to ask what are you looking for in the scripts? What is the most important for you when you decide that you want to take part in something?

Of course, there must be something new about it. Sure, I know it’s easy to say that it must be something original. What does this mean at all? You know, different concepts have been existing for a long time, many have already been tried in different ways and developed. That is why I put a lot of emphasis on understanding what the director wants to achieve. Because even the best scenario without a director remains only a string of words written on a piece of paper. So you need a director with a vision, someone who can wonderfully lead a story and make these words gain life. A good operator is also necessary, who understands the climate and can with the help of a camera, its movement, give it away and even strengthen what we as actors show. So it’s a combination of many elements – making TV or movie is really a group experience. It’s not just one element, because many parts must be made into a satisfactory whole.

In addition, the most important thing for me is whether when I read the script, I can imagine what I can bring fresh to the character I have to play. If this is the same character that I have already played before, I am not particularly exciting. I think that my audience will not be impressed either, because they have already seen how I am doing something similar. Each time the biggest challenge is to show something new and different.