Panaji: From learning a tough language like Burmese to being deported from the country, Michelle Yeoh went through a lot to portray her “hero” Aung San Suu Kyi on the big screen in The Lady and the actress calls it the most passionate film she has ever made.
The 48-year-old actress, who approached French director Luc Besson to helm the film, says it was her commitment to the Burmese leader’s cause that helped her go through the challenging journey.
“It was a challenging task playing Suu Kyi. When I found out about a movie regarding Aung San Suu Kyi, as an Asian woman this was the most iconic and inspiring figure I could have played. It was like a dream come true to be able to play a role like this,” Michelle told PTI. The Malaysia-born actress, who has starred in films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha, said the part enriched her as an actress as she researched extensively to make her portrayal believable. Michelle went through 200 hours of footage of Suu Kyi.
So committed she was to portray Suu Kyi in the most authentic manner, Michelle even learnt to speak in Burmese to deliver certain dialogues to show the Nobel peace laureate’s connect with the people in her country.
“Learning Burmese was tough as it is not similar to any other Asian language. I was lucky I had an incredible teacher, a Burmese lady who cannot be credited as she lives with her family in Burma. People don’t know she helped me with the film. (PTI)
