Michelle Yeoh Reveals REAL Reason Quentin Tarantino Didn't Cast Her for 'Kill Bill'
In a different universe, action star Michelle Yeoh could have been cast in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill", but now the veteran actress reveals why she wasn't.
It looks like the renowned director and veteran actress' long-standing friendship has come full circle. The "Everything Everywhere All at Once" actress expressed that the director had saved her from an existential crisis during her early career, while Tarantino admits that Yeoh had been a major influence behind Uma Thurman's The Bride in "Kill Bill."
So why wasn't the action star cast in the iconic film? In an interview with Town&Country, Yeoh shares that she had already asked Tarantino that same question, to which the director wittingly replied, "Who would believe that Uma Thurman could kick your ass?"
Beatrix "The Bride" Kiddo, portrayed by Uma Thurman, is the protagonist of the two-part film "Kill Bill" directed by Tarantino. The story centers on a woman who wakes up from a coma on a mission to destroy the assassins who have betrayed her.
Tarantino is known to be a martial arts enthusiast and an avid fan of the action star Michelle Yeoh way back in the 90's. During that time, she had been known as Michelle Khan for her early Hong Kong films.
How their Unexpected Friendship Started
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Yeoh recalls how the director had told her that he has watched all of her movies, before enthusiastically recounting his favorite action sequences frame by frame. At the time, the director was in Hong Kong screening his film, "Pulp Fiction".
"I was just a huge, huge fan of hers. There was always a twinkle in her eye." The 59 year old director told THR.
Her encounter with Tarantino ignited her passion for acting and encouraged Yeoh to once again get back to work after suffering a neck and torso injury from filming The Stunt Woman in 1996. A year later she signed on to her first English language lead, in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies". In 1997, the actress was officially introduced to the world as Michelle Yeoh.
Yeoh has recently been tapped for the Kirk Douglas award, while the Oscar-winning director has already confirmed his plan to retire after his 10th film.
