Michelle Yeoh takes on a new role in Netflix’s The Brothers Sun: the eight-episode action comedy has been co-created by Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu, and drops on January 4
From a laundromat owner dealing with a belligerent tax department while simultaneously trying to save the world, to an emperor in the sci-fi franchise Star Trek: Discovery, Michelle Yeoh has proven over her four-decade career that she has the ability to surprise audiences in whatever role she takes on.
The Everything Everywhere All At Once actress built her career on action-packed roles, sharing the spotlight with Asian cinema’s biggest action heroes, including Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
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In the Oscar-nominated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she plays a warrior troubled by unrequited love. The role showcased her range and the fact that she is capable of more than just impressive stunt work.
When the Malaysian actress’ arrived in Hollywood, she took on the role of a Bond girl in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies – and brought with her the unmistakable energy and dynamism of Hong Kong cinema.
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Her latest project, The Brothers Sun, is set to hit Netflix on January 4. The eight-episode series centres on a Taiwanese crime family living an ocean apart. Playing the matriarch of the family, Yeoh’s character Eileen must navigate between the world of crime in Taiwan that she was forced to flee and the new life she’s built with her naive younger son, Bruce, played by actor Sam Song Li, in America.
But her criminal past comes back to haunt her when an assassin kills the head of the gang, and her elder son Charlies, played by Justin Chien, heads to LA to protect what’s left of his family.
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Meanwhile, co-creator Byron Wu reflects on Yeoh’s presence both on and off-screen in another interview: “What I love about Michelle is how much respect she commanded from her two sons on the show, but also from those actors. The most astounding thing was watching her nurture and mentor all these young actors and help them and honestly make them step up.”
Viewers hoping to catch more of Yeoh can see her reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in a feature-length film Star Trek: Section 31, set to begin production in the coming year.
- Yeoh may be known for action films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies, but recently she’s branched out into offbeat action comedies too, like Disney’s American Born Chinese
- Next the 61-year-old plays the matriarch in The Brothers Sun alongside Justin Chien and Sam Song Li – and will also reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31