Michelle Yeoh has revealed that she grew up feeling like she should be ‘seen and not heard’ due to her Asian parents as she opened up about racism in the film industry in a new interview on Wednesday.
The Malaysian actress, 63, spoke to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast where she looked back over her career and upbringing.
Michelle grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia. As a teenager, she moved to London to train at the Royal Academy of Dance.Â
She said of her childhood: ‘I feel that with Asian parents, especially moms, they try to have their children be seen and not heard.
‘The girls should behave like girls, not make loud noises and things like that.Â
‘My mom instilled that in us and it took me a while to go to her and say, ‘actually it’s not true, we can speak our minds and we don’t always have to agree with what everybody else is saying’.
Michelle Yeoh has revealed that she grew up feeling like she should be ‘seen and not heard’ due to her Asian parents as she opened up about racism in the film industry in a new interview on Wednesday
The Malaysian actress, 63, spoke to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast where she looked back over her career and upbringing (seen this week)
She also discussed her experiences of racism in the film industry, saying one of the beautiful things about the film Wicked was that it taught people it is okay to be different.
Asked if she experiences racism she said: ‘I would be lying if I say no, I’ll put it delicately because they dare not show us very direct racism because of the position I’m in right now. Maybe five years ago even then you would face it, you’d see the people go like, ‘what’s an Asian person doing here?’.Â
‘I think the distribution of wealth has helped as well, but unfortunately it’s quite apparent still today in America, when you hear of Asian, older women get punched in the face for just walking down the street and just because young girls or boys get harassed and bullied because they’re Asians.Â
‘I don’t understand, to date why it’s still happening. So that’s why when a movie like what we’ve done with Wicked comes out where we encourage people to see it’s beautiful to be different because that’s how we are all made.Â
‘All of us are different and I think the worst, one of our worst human traits is that we’re judgemental. We like to judge. We like to be like above. I don’t know why we always think that we have to be better and be able to tell the other person or put them down or whatever it is.Â
‘I think that is something I hope that we all learn that an act of kindness or compassion goes a long, long way in our world, and we are in so desperate need of that.’
Michelle grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia . As a teenager, she moved to London to train at the Royal Academy of Dance
Her podcast interview comes after she set tongues wagging with her latest look as she attended the Wicked: For Good New York Premiere at David Geffen Hall on Monday.
The actress normally looks impossibly stylish, however fans accused her of hitting a bum style note when she graced the red carpet this week.
Michelle, who was debuting cropped hair, stepped out wearing a dramatic neon yellow tulle dress with a stunning statement diamond necklace.
Many thought Michelle had hired a new stylist because the outfit was worlds away from her usual glamorous attire.Â
They said: ‘It’s giving grandma’s toilet paper cover. Someone has to do it every red carpet! This cupcake one takes the cake!’; ‘Who picked that dress’; ‘Why is she starting to make so many questionable fashion choices?’
‘Who is a new stylist?’; ‘Stop with his ridiculous tour’; ‘They all act weird’; That can only be done for a huge pay check. There is no way a person will wear that voluntarily without being greatly compensated’; ‘She is a beautiful woman… stylist has some explaining to do’; ‘Normally she looks fantastic, but this dress is downright comical’.
Michelle’s outfits at the other screenings have been far more typical of her usual style.
She said of her childhood: ‘I feel that with Asian parents, especially moms, they try to have their children be seen and not heard’
In Singapore last week, Michelle looked incredible in a bubble style dress with a deeply plunging neckline and a bouncy blonde bob.
Before this she attended the European premiere in a strapless black dress, with her dark locks swept off her face into a sleek bun.
During a night out in Paris with the cast, Michelle, who plays Madame Morrible, was dressed to impress in a purple caped evening gown with white opera gloves.
The jaw-dropping outfits and appearances from the stars of the film on the promo tour have once again created water-cooler moments. Â
