Here are five things you need to know about the talented actress.

1. She is a theatre veteran and has been nominated for an Emmy

Growing up in Kukup, a small fishing village in the Pontian district in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Yeo made her acting debut in the theatre in the late 90s with Comedy of Mistakes by Toy Factory Production. She then starred in numerous critically-acclaimed plays including Muallaf, Petaling Street Warriors and Lee Chong Wei.

The Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) graduate has been in almost 30 plays throughout her career and has effortlessly zigzagged in and out of genres by performing both onstage and in front of the cameras.

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Yeo was catapulted into fame after she appeared in the 2006 film Singapore Dreaming that was followed with Ilo Ilo (2013) and Wet Season (2019), both directed by Singaporean auteur Anthony Chen. Recently, the talented actress impressed audiences in HBO Asia’s Invisible Stories for which she earned the International Emmy Awards nomination in the best performance by an actress category.

2. She married a Hong Kong action choreographer

Yeo married Hong Kong action choreographer Ma Yuk-sing in 2012, whom she met while filming Petaling Street Warriors. The two tied the knot in a low key ceremony in her hometown Johor Bahru and Ma is 17 years her senior.

In 2012, Ma made a surprising comment when a reporter asked whether Yeo will leave her career behind to spend time with family. Ma instead revealed that he would rather leave his career voluntarily than to have his wife give up hers. “My husband always asks me if he can be my PA (personal assistant). I’m fine with it. He’s sharp enough for me,” she said in the interview with Yahoo! News.

3. She is vocal about post-partum depression

Last year, Yeo revealed that a year after her marriage she had moved back to Singapore from Hong Kong due to post-partum depression. During an interview with Quan Yifeng’s talk show Hear U Out, Yeo spoke about the challenging times that even led to her feeling suicidal.

“I realised that I needed help when I thought of ending my life after an argument,” she said, adding that after seeking out help from doctors and friends, she slowly felt that she was in a much better place.

“After a while, I started to ask my friends for help. I think this is very important. Once I took the first step, I started asking around for recommendations for doctors or for someone to work out with me.”

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The Singaporean-Malaysian actress also revealed that her marriage is mostly long distance. According to 8 Days Singapore, the couple only spend three months in a year together because of their clashing work schedules.

4. She will be seen next in Hollywood projects

After her much-acclaimed performance in HBO Asia’s Invisible Stories, Yeo is slowly getting the recognition she deserves. She will be seen next in Modern Love Mumbai’s segment titled Mumbai Dragon that also co-stars Meiyang Chang, Wamiqa Gabbi and Naseeruddin Shah.

Yeo recently shared a behind-the-scenes photo of her with the cast and acclaimed Indian auteur Vishal Bhardwaj and wrote, “It’s such a great honour to be alive to work with @vishalrbhardwaj and the beautiful @wamiqagabbi #missngthemoments already.”

The 45-year-old star has also signed on to appear in a new Disney+’s series titled American Born Chinese, based on the 2006 graphic novel by Gene Luen Yan, opposite Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Wu. She has also bagged a role on Netflix’s Havoc opposite British hunk Tom Hardy.

5. She is a huge Meryl Streep fan

In 2021, Yeo conducted a virtual acting masterclass as she loves sharing her experiences to help others on their journey. She told NME Asia that “sometimes it takes many years to understand certain things” and recalled the moment where she watched a YouTube clip of Michael Caine giving a masterclass in 1986 that she wished she had watched as a young actress. “It would have saved me from hitting the wall so many times,” she added.

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Yeo is also an avid learner and often watched Hollywood legends’ interview clips when deciding to take on a role. She recalled how she agreed to take the role of Lian in HBO Asia’s Invisible Stories after watching an old Meryl Streep interview where the legendary star said that “she’s more drawn to a role if it gives a voice to the voiceless”.