In the world of entertainment, the unfortunate truth is that stereotypes are everywhere. Whether we notice them or not, many stereotypes have been around for ages. Yes, things have come a long way, even in the last decade or so, but despite this, there is still a long way to go before things get to where they should be.
In recent years, Michelle Yeoh has shown herself to be one of the most talented women in Hollywood. She's winning major awards, has amazing projects lined up, and even made her way into the MCU. However, Yeoh broke out many years before this resurgence. Instead of enjoying her initial success, however, the actress was forced to sit on the sidelines in a fight against taking stereotypical roles.
Let’s take a look at Michelle Yeoh's amazing career, and hear about the struggles she faced after first breaking out.
Michelle Yeoh Is A Legendary Actress, Who Has Had Huge Hits Like 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'
Over the last few years, acting veteran, Michelle Yeoh, has had her career rocket off into the cosmos thanks to having several successful films that have helped remind the world just how talented she is.
Her career began back in the 1980s in a most unusual way. The young Yeoh won a pageant that her mother entered her in.
"That led to an audition for a commercial with Jackie Chan. She booked it. Soon after, Yeoh was cast in her first movie in Hong Kong: as a woman in need of saving, in the action-comedy The Owl vs. Bumbo," People reported.
From there, Yeoh began getting experience as an actress. Slowly but surely, she was landing roles in projects that gave her the chance to gain valuable experience.
The actress realized, however, that changes needed to be made.
"When I started off in 1984, women were relegated to being the damsel in distress. We need to be protected, according to our guys. But then I would go, 'No, guys, I think we can protect ourselves pretty well. And if push comes to shove, maybe I can protect you too,'" she said in an interview.
It took some time, but eventually, Yeoh landed several roles that helped her break into the mainstream.
'Tomorrow Never Dies' And 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Were Major Breakthroughs For The Actress
In 1997, Michelle Yeoh struck gold when she landed a major role in Tomorrow Never Dies, a highly-anticipated 007 movie starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. Yeoh wasn't well known at the time, but following the success of the film, people took notice.
"As Chinese spy Wai Lin in the 1997 film, Yeoh upended the very notion of the "Bond Girl," saving 007's life, rejecting his advances and standing on equal footing with the most alpha of males," People wrote about the movie.
Three years later, Yeoh starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a genuine classic that still captivates audiences after nearly 25 years.
This was the film that really took her career to another level. However, instead of her career really taking off with multiple hits to her name, things began to slow down for Yeoh. She recently shed some light on what was actually going on behind the scenes.
Michelle Yeoh Spent Years Avoiding Stereotypical Roles
Circling back to her time in Tomorrow Never Dies, things shifted for Yeoh.
"At that point, people in the industry couldn't really tell the difference between whether I was Chinese or Japanese or Korean or if I even spoke English. They would talk very loudly and very slow," she told People.
Even after finding success in multiple films, Yeoh still had to deal with Hollywood's dated way of thinking.
"I didn't work for almost two years, until Crouching Tiger, simply because I could not agree with the stereotypical roles that were put forward to me," she continued.
Imagine hitting home runs with major blockbuster hits, and still being offered stereotypical roles by studios, who clearly don't value what you bring to the table as a star. This was reality for Michelle Yeoh, and instead of simply going with the flow, she stood her ground, and did her best to get the right roles.
Thankfully, things are starting to move in the right direction.
"A lot of actresses find, as the numbers get bigger, the roles start to dwindle. Over the last few years, I'm very proud that we have been breaking away from stereotypes — it's not just lip service. It is happening. And it's happening to me," said Yeoh.
Michelle Yeoh is one of the biggest and best actresses working right now, and there is hope that she is laying the groundwork for other stars to never deal with what she has during her time in the industry.