Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh has arrived at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, to the delight of pretty much everyone. In an interview with Variety, she discussed her first experience at the festival and why she feels optimistic about the direction of the film industry.
Considering that last week’s coverage of Cannes was dogged with controversy over the French celebrating Johnny Depp and other alleged abusers, as well as some disappointing notes for the new Indiana Jones movie, Yeoh’s presence feels like a ray of sunshine — in a literal sense for attendees, as her interviewer credited Yeoh with finally bringing some good weather to the Palais des Festivals when she flew in over the weekend.
Among the many topics discussed, Yeoh dug into her first experience with the festival, which took place 23 years ago when she attended Cannes to promote Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yeoh discussed what an overwhelming visit it proved to be, noting, “Cannes is a great place, but it can also be very brutal. If they don’t like your film, they tell you right away.”
Luckily, there was a standing ovation right in the middle of the film’s first screening, following an early action scene where Yeoh runs up the sides of walls and across rooftops. The film went on to become a box office success and was eventually nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
When asked about the state of the film industry today, Yeoh explained, “We fight for women continuously. We fight for equality. We fight for diversity. … But it also has to come from the top. If it doesn’t come from the top, it’s very hard for it to trickle down to the bottom.” However, Yeoh noted, the success of her recent films has forced Hollywood decision-makers to support the same things she does.
“It started with Crazy Rich Asians,” she said, adding that the movie’s success set a “small fire” that kept growing. According to Yeoh, it had been 26 years since a “homegrown American movie” had an all-Asian cast, with The Joy Luck Club. The box office success of Crazy Rich Asians helped studios realize that Americans are willing to watch primarily Asian casts. Then, Yeoh noted, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a success for Marvel, bringing the first Chinese superhero to the mainstream. Yeoh said that Shang-Chi “opened the door even wider.”
Her most recent success, of course, is last year’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, which was a hit at the box office and snagged several Oscar wins — including Best Lead Actress for Yeoh herself (the first time an Asian performer has won) and Best Picture. With that film, Yeoh said, “we just kung-fu’d our way through that glass ceiling.”
Even jet-lagged and forced to confront an onslaught of camera flashes, Yeoh was every bit as energetic and composed as expected. Beyond being a consummate professional who thankfully steered the Cannes narrative in a positive direction, she also revealed some worthwhile thoughts about the gender divide in Hollywood: “In the past, I’ve found that women are very critical of themselves,” she said, noting, “Men are not. Women, we nitpick at maybe our good things, even.”
But that might be changing, according to Yeoh. She said, “[E]specially in the last few years, you can see that women are speaking out a lot more for themselves.” Let’s make that the thesis of this year’s Cannes, shall we?