Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh has revealed how a conversation with director Quentin Tarantino helped her overcome a career-threatening injury.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Yeoh recounted how a serious on-set accident during the filming of The Stunt Woman left her with a broken back and contemplating the end of her action career.
“I was in Hong Kong and depressed as I had had a bad accident while filming a stunt,” she said. “I felt hopeless and was re-thinking the whole action thing and thought maybe I should take a step back.”
It was during this time that Tarantino, a long-time admirer of Yeoh’s work, visited her. He spoke passionately about her films, inspiring her to persevere.
“When I met [Tarantino], he was so enthusiastic and said that if you love something you have to find a better way to do it,” Yeoh recalled.
Tarantino’s encouragement proved pivotal, and Yeoh went on to star in numerous successful action films, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy.
Read more: Michelle Yeoh Opens Up About the “Biggest Sadness” of Her Life: Not Having Children
Yeoh also revealed the amusing reason why she never appeared in Tarantino’s Kill Bill franchise.
“I have never worked with him, and when I asked him about Kill Bill and why he hadn’t thought of me, he said, ‘No one would believe Uma Thurman could kick your a–!” she laughed.
