Thursday, July 24, 2008

See what Michelle Yeoh is all about

Michelle Yeoh became known to Western audiences thanks to her role as James Bond's Chinese counterpart in Tomorrow Never Dies. Critics praised her for her beauty and toughness, but, for Michelle, born Yeoh Chu-Kheng, doing the stunts in Bond was about as challenging as doing her laundry. You see, Michelle, a former Miss Malaysia and a ballerina, learned her destructive craft toiling in Hong Kong films, under the tutelage of such un-safety-conscious boys as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. She almost died jumping off a bridge while shooting the film Ah Kam (The Stunt Woman, 1996), smashing the concrete face first and bending her spine backwards so much that her feet folded over her head and touched the asphalt. Only her physical condition saved her life. After that horrendous incident, she was forced to take it easy, appearing in peaceful films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the aforementioned Bond. To understand what Michelle Yeoh is really made off, you need to rent her Hong Kong flicks. In the meantime, I invite you to see a little compilation I found on YouTube. If you look closely, you will recognize a set copied... sorry... "homaged" by Tarantino in Kill Bill. Thanks to whoever took the time to edit and post this video:

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