“It continues to be a struggle,” Michelle Yeoh said this morning during a press conference at the Berlinale when quizzed on the progression of asian representation in Hollywood.
“I don’t think issues like that go away overnight.”
Yeoh, who received the Berlinale’s honorary Golden Bear last night, told journalists in the room that she and her Crazy Rich Asian colleagues were told they “ticked all the wrong boxes” when the film was produced in 2018.
“Fortunately, we did hit a nerve and reached an audience, and that’s the thing about audiences, you can never predict or guarantee which way they’re going to go, because they are evolving,” Yeoh said. “Making movies is a risk, and our job is about taking that risk because we believe that the story needs to be told.”
Yeoh added that after Crazy Rich Asian films like Marvel’s Shang-Chi and Everything Everywhere All at Once were released, reflecting wider advancements in the industry.
“I was eternally grateful to my two Daniels, my little geniuses, for being bold and courageous to do that film because once again, we ticked all the wrong boxes, but we prevailed,” Yeoh said of Everything Everywhere All at Once directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan.
Elsewhere, Yeoh, who started her career working on Hong Kong action movies, was asked whether she had any advice for struggling filmmakers working in Hong Kong.
“I will always have a soft spot and a place in my heart for Hong Kong cinema,” Yeoh said, adding that the global industry is “facing a rough time.” Yeoh added that she will aim to support filmmakers in Hong Kong and intends to “go back and make a movie” in the country this year.
Yeoh added that she is currently working on a third film in The Wandering Earth franchise with Chinese filmmaker Frant Gwo.
Berlin runs until February 22.
English (US) ·