Michelle Yeoh Hopes She “Made Difference for Actors Who Look Like Me”

Michelle Yeoh is wincing at the thought of collecting her honorary Golden Bear here in Berlin.

“I hope I don’t trip and fall flat on my face, because we went to the rehearsals and it’s a long walk,” says the actress, eyes widening as she mentally traces her steps toward the Palast stage. She’s talking to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, bundled up in a white knitted sweater, dwarfed by the Ritz-Carlton’s 10-foot ceilings. Her glitzy, celebratory ceremony — whether Yeoh likes it or not — is this evening. (It goes perfectly, with a heartfelt tribute from Anora director Sean Baker. In fact, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Yeoh spoke to European cinema’s top brass, tenderly discussing her late father and growing up as a young girl in Malaysia with dreams of stardom.)

Still, she is quick to downplay the feat. “I think they’ve made a mistake!” Yeoh shrugs when asked why she thinks the fest named her its 2026 recipient. “Because a lifetime achievement is a big thing, and I feel like I’ve not finished my journey. I still have a long way to go,” she then adds, silently agreeing to acknowledge that she is the woman of the hour at this film festival (in her eyes, there’s only three big ones anyway: Berlin, Cannes and Venice).

“Now that I’m here,” she concedes, “I feel like I should just say, ‘Thank you.’ Because it’s the Berlinale, the people here, who have not just appreciated one movie that I’ve done, but my whole portfolio of 40 years.”

The portfolio in question is vast and, appropriately, brimming with life. Yeoh made her start in the martial arts genre, becoming synonymous with the best of Hong Kong action by leading films like Yes, Madam (1985), Magnificent Warriors (1987), and Wing Chun (1994).

With 1997 came her first Hollywood role: Bond girl Wai Lin to Pierce Brosnan’s incarnation in Roger Spottiswoode’s Tomorrow Never Dies. International acclaim awaited, and with a final hoorah in Ang Lee’s wuxia martial arts feature Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (a 10-time Academy Award-nominated film), the Tinseltown floodgates opened. Yeoh went on to star in Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor next to Brendan Fraser in 2008, and later, Jon M. Chu’s box office behemoth Crazy Rich Asians (2018).

Marvel Cinematic Universe? Check. Animated smash-hit? Check. Beloved musical adaptation? Shiz, double-check. Yeoh’s traversed a cinematic terrain few have dared to dream of, and the 63-year-old is simply sitting here with her fingers crossed that it’s helped others. “The different things that I have done, I hope, in a small way, shaped cinema,” she says, “and made a difference for actors who look like me, for women in particular, to be able to cross different cultures and languages.”

Wielding her success to get fellow Asian actors a seat at the table is what she believes to be the greatest knock-on effect of her Oscar-winning performance in Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s absurdist multiple-reality bonanza Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). “I think [winning] does open more doors in the sense that people see you and they’re willing to change what they are doing to make space for you,” muses Yeoh. “I think that is very important. I now receive scripts that are written for men and they turn the character around so [it’s a woman]. They don’t just see me as an Asian, they see me as an actor who can be in any of these roles.”

It’s also changed things for actors who look like Yeoh. She stops to praise those who’ve come after her: “We have so many amazing young actresses, Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Lucy Liu.” She then adds a caveat — that they could always use more movies and more opportunities.

But in a world where those with power are seemingly relentless in their bid to marginalise non-white communities further, Yeoh maintains that it’s not a filmmaker’s job to address global politics. “When we write books for children, are we supposed to instil in them our politics and how [they] should lead [their] life?” she asks. What we can do, she thinks, is “shine a spotlight on certain issues in certain ways, and let you think on how you perceive the world.” Take Star Trek, says Yeoh: “I mean, it’s set in the future, but it talks about a lot of problems that we are going through! Are they trying to change the world?” She concludes: “I don’t think much [film] has changed the world.”

Though, those alternate universes in Everything Everywhere might just work as a vehicle for showing audiences a myriad of worldly possibilities, says Yeoh. She continues: “I think the most important thing, wherever you are, whichever country you belong to, is you have to understand and vote. If you don’t vote, then don’t complain, because somebody else has voted for you! I think that’s the responsibility of everyone — not films. About half of films are there to entertain because it’s an art form where we bring people together to laugh and cry and be with each other and just be a normal human being for once in a while. If you want real and hardcore, turn on the TV [to the] news and [see] all the horrible things that are happening in the world.”

It’s hard to think of a more entertaining cinematic experience in the last few years than Wicked, Jon M. Chu’s two-hander that made billions of dollars worldwide and nabbed 10 Oscar nominations in the process. Though Yeoh — who plays the evil, weather-warping Madame Morrible — immediately notes her disappointment that all of those Academy Award nods went to Wicked (2024), and not Wicked: For Good (2025).

“I never will,” she says about waving farewell to the experience that had audiences just as engrossed in its endlessly entertaining press tour as they were in the beloved musical sequences. “Wicked will always be family. I’m in touch with Ariana [Grande] and Cynthia [Erivo] and Jon… And I will say I was so desperately disappointed when they were not acknowledged at the Oscars. There’s only so many places and of course, they say, ‘Well, you already got so many in Wicked…’ but the disappointment for them is very strong.” Yeoh appears particularly saddened by the movie’s shut-out in the craft categories: “I mean, Paul Tazewell for the costume design? Hair and makeup [by] Frances [Hannon]? And Alice Brooks, our DP, she was never recognized.” She frowns, and her eyes fall to the floor.

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But don’t forget: Yeoh’s an Academy member now, and she takes that responsibility seriously. In fact, she declines to tell THR about her favorite movies of the year, lest she show any public bias. “There’s been so many outstanding [films], and every movie stands out on its own in different genres as well,” she says. “So it’s going to be a tough, close race. Right now, I’m actually revisiting all the contenders.”

That leaves us with our final question. What else is Yeoh up to right now? Her answer might surprise you — she’s eyeing a return to Chinese cinema. “Since 2018, I have not been back to China to work, because it’s been non-stop here,” she says, alluding to her work in Europe and Hollywood. “I’m still working on a movie [in China]. Last year, I did one called Miss Rubik,” about a woman in a nursing home who unexpectedly pries open the future through a Rubik’s Cube. “But this one that I’m working on, The Wandering Earth 3 [from Frant Gwo], I am very impressed by the energy and the dynamic visions of these young directors. It gives me great pleasure, joy, to see that development.”

In keeping with the tone of our conversation, she’s adamant that when a role feels like she “can’t bring anything new to it, then somebody should have a chance of doing that instead of me.” We’re back to that hypothetical table again — the one Yeoh is a permanent fixture at, that remains in dire need of some diversity — and the legendary actress is, once again, the picture of humility: “Every time I look at a character, I try to understand why a director would want me to play that role. What do they think I will bring to the table? That’s very important.”