Michelle Yeoh, the ageless wonder and action queen who can make flying through bamboo forests look like a casual stroll, just gave us a hilarious behind-the-scenes scoop about Quentin Tarantino. While chatting with Graham Norton, Michelle reflected on how the Pulp Fiction mastermind helped her bounce back from a tough time in her career—and revealed why she didn’t land a role in his martial arts epic Kill Bill. Spoiler alert: it’s peak Tarantino.
So, let’s set the scene. Picture it: Michelle is in Hong Kong, feeling down in the dumps after a gnarly stunt accident. (Because if you’re Michelle Yeoh, you don’t just trip over curbs—you have stunt accidents.) “I was in Hong Kong and depressed,” she said, adding that she started doubting whether she should keep leaping off walls and looking cooler than any of us ever will.
Enter Quentin Tarantino, a man whose enthusiasm for movies is rivaled only by his enthusiasm for talking about movies. According to Michelle, he basically told her, “Girl, stop doubting yourself and go break more bones—artistically, of course!” Okay, maybe not in those exact words, but his pep talk was apparently enough to get Michelle back in the action-packed saddle.
And thank goodness for that, because her post-pep talk career gave us gems like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy. (Honestly, imagine a world without Michelle Yeoh doing spinning kicks in slow motion. It’s too bleak to consider.)
But here’s where things get juicy. Graham Norton, being the cheeky instigator we love, pointed out that Michelle and Quentin never actually teamed up for a movie. Specifically, Graham brought up Kill Bill, which—hello?—is practically a love letter to martial arts legends like her.
Why didn’t Quentin cast Michelle? Her response was gold: “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–!’”
Let’s unpack that. On the one hand, it’s a massive compliment: Michelle Yeoh is so badass that even the Bride herself, Uma Thurman, couldn’t convincingly take her down. On the other hand, Quentin, buddy, isn’t that what acting is for?
The moral of the story? Michelle Yeoh’s reputation for being untouchable in a fight is so strong it scared off Quentin Tarantino. If that’s not a power move, we don’t know what is.
Catch Michelle’s full interview for more gems, but fair warning: you might walk away feeling like you should start practicing high kicks in your living room.