Podcast Summary: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Episode: Michelle Yeoh – On typecasting, fertility and THAT Oscars speech
Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Elizabeth Day
Guest: Michelle Yeoh

Overview

This episode of How To Fail features the groundbreaking actress Michelle Yeoh, whose illustrious career has ranged from kung fu cinema and Bond franchises to making Oscar history. In the spirit of the show, Yeoh intimately explores three “failures”—stage fright, Hollywood typecasting, and a life-altering stunt accident—sharing lessons learned, her resilience, and how perceived failures have shaped her as an artist and a person. With humor, humility, and insight, Yeoh also reflects on familial expectations, fertility struggles, her mother’s influence, and the cultural importance of her Oscar win.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. On Joining "Wicked" and Being Surrounded by Love

• [06:16] Michelle describes filming Wicked as a grounding experience, providing "a solid foundation of love and serenity" during the pressure of Oscar season. She fondly refers to the cast as her “wicked, wicked family.”
• Reticence about singing: Initially wary about taking a singing role, Yeoh was encouraged by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Cynthia supported her confidence during recordings.
  • Quote: “I know you can do this. I’ve heard you sing, so please sing.” – Cynthia to Michelle ([09:21])

2. Family, Early Failure, and Finding Her Voice

• [10:49] Michelle’s mother is described as a forceful but glamorous presence—supportive, but also instilling a tendency to please others at the expense of self-confidence.
• Divorce and finding her voice: Michelle recounts standing up to her traditional mother during her divorce ([12:48]).
  • Quote: “If you love him so much, why don’t you marry him?” – Michelle, to her mother ([12:55])

3. Fertility Struggles & Redefining Failure

• [13:37] Both host and guest discuss their personal experiences with infertility. Michelle reflects on the sense of failure imposed by traditional expectations and her journey to acceptance.
• Redefining motherhood: With the love of godchildren and an extended family, she learned "to love in another form."
  • Quote: “At that point, I did feel like a failure of a woman... Why have I been singled out?” – Michelle ([14:25])
  • On moving forward: “It shouldn’t be a feeling of loss... finding yourself and believing that you can move forward.” ([14:42])

4. Lessons on Relationships

• [16:11] Yeoh shares her approach to step-grandparenthood and describes her strong, non-competitive marriage. She stresses the importance of mutual respect and individuality in relationships.

5. Failure 1: Stage Fright

• [20:37] Michelle’s first declared failure is stage fright—not when performing physically, but when required to speak publicly, in any language.
  • Golden Globes anecdote: During her acceptance, nerves overtook her so much that she swore on stage:
    • Quote: “Everything goes. I forget my name. I don’t know what I’m there for. The first word... was shit. Then I realized... and turned back around and said, fuck.” ([21:23])
• Oscars Speech: Despite nerves, her heartfelt acceptance made global waves, particularly for Asian representation.
  • Quote: “It came from here. It really did.” ([23:41])

6. On Representation, Immigrant Stories, and "Everything Everywhere All At Once"

• [24:36] Discussion of the importance of roles like Evelyn (her Oscar-winning part):
  • “They’re everywhere… They’re not seen, they’re not heard… almost, like, voiceless.” – Michelle, on Chinese-American laundromat owners in popular culture ([24:36])
• Insisted Evelyn not be named "Michelle": To ensure the character had her own distinct identity ([26:10])
• On growing up in multicultural Malaysia: Michelle credits her wide worldview to her upbringing and her parents' values ([27:00]).

7. Failure 2: Typecasting and Stereotypes

• [31:27] In early Hong Kong and Hollywood work, she was typecast into roles such as the “damsel in distress” or limited Asian stereotypes.
  • On breaking barriers: Michelle pushed to do action roles, using her physical prowess to avoid cliché parts ([32:15]).
• With Jackie Chan:
  • Quote: “He’s a little macho... no, no, don’t let her jump on the motorcycle…” ([33:43])
  • Reflects on the adrenaline and danger of performing difficult stunts herself, “I would never do it again.” ([34:07])
• On Name Changes: Marketing her films required changing her name to 'Michelle Khan' to appeal to western audiences until encouraged by Barbara Broccoli to use her own.
• Hollywood Roles Post-Bond: Despite expectations after Tomorrow Never Dies, many offers remained typecast, so she turned them down for two years ([38:29]).
  • “Suddenly I was a minority... it was the first time it struck me.” ([38:29])
  • On limited roles: “Chinatown, right? Or a waiter in a Chinese restaurant… The most important thing is to be seen doing ordinary things, normal things, even positions of power.” ([40:05])

8. Experiencing Racism Even After Success

• [41:33] Has experienced forms of racism throughout her career, though directness has decreased with her success.
  • Quote: “I would be lying if I say no.” ([41:33])
  • Calls for compassion and kindness to counter judgmental tendencies.

9. Failure 3: Stunt Accident

• [45:13] Details a traumatic accident on set while performing a complicated stunt, playing a stuntwoman in a film directed by Ann Hui.
  • Incident: Was pushed off a flyover, landed on head/neck, and ended up in a full body cast for months.
    • “My head going into here. My legs came from behind me… On fire. Everybody thought, this is it.” ([49:34])
  • Learning limits: The accident made her reconsider performing dangerous stunts and the importance of self-protection.
• Quentin Tarantino’s Visit: During recovery, Tarantino’s enthusiasm rekindled her passion for filmmaking.
  • “He reminded me of why I loved filmmaking so much. It’s a passion, not just a job.” ([53:02])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On failure and resilience:
  • “When you're down, you learn. You become resilient, you become stronger and you learn from mistakes. Don't wallow in them.” – Michelle ([17:57])
• On womanhood and motherhood:
  • “It shouldn’t be a feeling of loss… finding yourself and believing that you can move forward.” – Michelle ([14:42])
• On Oscars speech nerves:
  • “Everything goes. I forget my name… The first word that came out was shit… then fuck.” – Michelle ([21:23])
• On having the right people:
  • “Find your people. Please don’t walk alone... You have a much better time.” ([55:00])
• On breaking stereotypes:
  • “Why do I need saving? What is it about that? It’s heroic for the guys, but for us, it’s kind of boring.” ([31:45])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [06:16] – Finding comfort on the Wicked set
• [10:49] – Michelle’s mother and early upbringing
• [13:37] – Fertility struggles and redefining motherhood
• [17:57] – On resilience and moving beyond failure
• [20:37] – Failure 1: Stage fright
• [24:36] – Cultural importance of Everything Everywhere All At Once
• [31:36] – Failure 2: Typecasting and industry stereotypes
• [33:43] – Jackie Chan’s advice and early stunts
• [38:29] – Discrimination and the "minority" experience in Hollywood
• [41:33] – Experiencing racism, compassion as a remedy
• [45:13] – Failure 3: Stunt accident and recovery
• [53:02] – Tarantino’s visit and reigniting her passion
• [54:07] – Reflecting on failure and resilience

Closing Reflections

Michelle Yeoh reframes her so-called failures as pivotal lessons. Stage fright taught humility; typecasting taught persistence and the value of representation; her injury taught self-preservation and reignited her passion. Her story embodies resilience, the necessity of community, and the courage to embrace every direction failure can take us.

"There are ups and there are downs, but each... taught me to be more resilient, taught me to be smarter... Moving on, always in motion." – Michelle Yeoh ([54:10])