“I was very blessed”: the 2011 movie Michelle Yeoh said was “made for me”
Michelle Yeoh's career has followed a non-linear path, reaching prominence after the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, then experiencing a quieter period before major recent successes including a Best Actress Oscar in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Asian filmmaker award announced this week at Busan Film Festival.
A particularly meaningful project was the 2011 Luc Besson drama The Lady, depicting Burmese democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, which Yeoh described as feeling made specifically for her. She met with the real Suu Kyi during production, describing the experience as deeply personal. However, the film triggered serious consequences—Myanmar's government blacklisted Yeoh, denied her entry, and had her deported, whilst the film itself was critically panned and commercially unsuccessful. Despite these setbacks, her career has continued to advance significantly.
- Michelle Yeoh won Asian filmmaker of the year at the Busan Film Festival, continuing a career resurgence from her 2023 Oscar win
- Her 2011 film 'The Lady' about Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi held deep personal significance, including meeting the real subject
- Yeoh was blacklisted and deported from Myanmar for the role; the film flopped critically and commercially, but her career has thrived since
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I was very blessed with a fascinating career that has had its ups and downs, and started with a breakthrough in the 2000 martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. After a quieter stretch, recent years have brought major recognition, including a Best Actress Oscar in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All at Once, and this week an award for Asian filmmakers at the Busan Film Festival.
Among the roles she has spoken about most personally is the 2011 film The Lady, directed by Luc Besson, in which she played Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Yeoh met Suu Kyi during filming and has described the project as one that felt made specifically for her, though the film itself received poor reviews and struggled at the box office.
Taking on the role had real consequences at the time: Myanmar's then government blacklisted Yeoh, refused her entry to the country and had her deported. That episode sits alongside her broader career story as an example of the personal and political risks that can come with playing real, contested figures on screen.