Between Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies to later career big ones like Oscar-winner Everything Everywhere All at Once and MCU martial arts caper Shang-Chi, when it comes to being in great shape, there are few who can match Michelle Yeoh.
A former ballet dancer in her native Malaysia, Yeoh took that discipline and applied it to the rest of her career. There’s a reason she’s one of few actors screen partner Jackie Chan encouraged to perform their own stunts.
Reportedly, cardio and swimming play a huge role in Yeoh’s fitness routine, but the focus is on the Chinese martial art Tai Chi (short for ‘Tai chi ch’üan’). Influenced by Chinese philosophy, Tai Chi is sometimes referred to as a kind of ‘meditation in motion’. As such, it’s less about striking outwards, but building internal strength. According to Harvard Health, a regular practice can help maintain balance, strength and flexibility.
With Yeoh rightly storming headlines and flying high after her Oscars win, we thought it was high time we investigated the practice, and how it helps Michelle Yeoh to conquer on-screen foes and boss it IRL. To do so, we spoke with Andy and Brian Le, D.Y. Sao, and Daniel Mah, all of whom helped Yeoh combat multidimensional nasties in her latest, Oscar-winning turn.
The call to arms
One of the founders of Martial Club, Andy Le is mostly self-taught in martial arts, learning from You Tube and Kung Fu Films – a passion he shares with his brother Brian, and ‘martial brother’ Daniel Mah. A fitting match for Yeoh, and martial arts for films, then.
After sharing martial arts videos on YouTube, Andy and team caught the attention of The Daniels, the directing duo behind Everything, Everywhere, All At Once who then recruited them to help bring back “the classic Hong Kong style of action comedy,” as Andy describes it.
In a film littered with action sequences, their job was to work closely with the directors and “create action sequences that carry the story forward and bring our signature flare of Hong Kong Action,” Andy says. Naturally, this involved incorporating some of the wackier elements throughout the film, including a butt plug trophy, and dildos. [Surely the kind of thing you just have to embrace].
The Yeoh Down
Andy and Michelle couldn’t have been a more natural fit, especially given the director’s desire to create an homage to the OG martial arts films, and Yeoh’s history in martial arts cinema.
“Her extensive background in martial arts films definitely had a great impact on how we worked together,” explains Andy. “Michelle brings a presence when the cameras are on her. You can take anyone else and teach them the same choreography and they would never be able to do it like her, she brings an X factor to her performance,” Andy says.
“Michelle has been performing martial arts on screen for the better part of four decades and has been performing complex movements for most of her life,” adds Daniel Mah, a founding member of Martial Club who served as Yeoh’s double in choreography rehearsals. “She is a master of learning movement quickly and interpreting the moves with a unique authority that only a seasoned performer can bring to the screen,” he adds.
Fight school
Mah explains that their work struck a balance between realising the ambitious fight scenes in the script, and factoring in “the wear and tear that four decades of action performance might have had on [Yeoh’s] body.”
This was doubly difficult as often, Martial Club co-founder Brian Le explains, fight choreography was worked out on the spot, and filmed after just a handful of practice runs. “She ran the fights seamlessly and adapted very well to any last minute changes made on set! Michelle only delivered the best,” he enthuses.
The key to resisting injury lay in a professional and well-thought-out approach to the stunt work, even if fight sequences were changing at the last minute. Because Yeoh has been practicing Tai Chi for most of her life she was never called upon to do anything she wasn’t at least partially familiar with, and adept at. In other words, Michelle Yeoh can get away with it because she’s put the hours and the years in. You might get injured…
“Michelle's age and background in martial arts were not hindrances but rather assets to our work together,” adds D.Y. Sao, who also worked with Ke Huy Quan in the movie. “Michelle has more energy and stamina than people half her age, and I have worked with martial artists for three decades.”
The workout
Want to get your Yeoh on? Thankfully, you needn’t traverse the multiverse to explore Tai Chi, all you need is a bit of space, a free 20 minutes, and the willingness to let go of stress. Sounds nice, right? “Tai Chi has an exercise known as ‘cloud hands’,” Andy explains. “It’s a great place to start.”
Follow Andy’s instructions below for a short practice than should gently challenge body and mind.
- “Start by separating your feet two shoulder widths and squatting as if riding a horse.
- “Lean towards your weight towards your right, still mostly maintaining your legs in a riding-horse stance, and motion your right hand to the right as if separating a curtain in front of you.
- “As you separate the curtain with your right hand, place your left hand next to the pit of your stomach with the palm facing up.
- “Next repeat the motion on the other side of the body – this time, leaning to your left, separating the curtain with your left and right hand circling to the pit of your stomach, palm up.
- “Repeat this sequence, alternating right side and left, breathing in a slow deliberate fashion, exhaling as you separate the curtain.”
“Remember to let your hands move gracefully and circularly,” Andy adds. “Aim for zero tension in your arms. It should be as if you are completely submerged in water and your arms’ motion results solely from you moving the pit of your stomach in the direction you want your hands to go.”
