Michelle Yeoh On The Importance Of Sharing Your Culture: ‘You Should Be Able To Embrace Who You Are’
etcanada.comMichelle Yeoh is celebrating the power of embracing one’s roots. The Oscar-winning actress recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with ET Canada’s Brittnee Blair to discuss her latest Disney+ project, “American Born Chinese”.
Yeoh hopes to inspire audiences to embrace their cultural heritage through the new series. “American Born Chinese,” based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, follows the journey of Jin Wang (Ben Wang), an ordinary teenager balancing school and home life.
Unexpectedly caught in a clash of Chinese mythological gods, Jin’s worlds collide in a tale of self-discovery. “It’s very relatable for any kid,” began Yeoh, who plays Guanyin, the goddess of Mercy, in the series. “Because, you know, when you’re trying to fit in, it’s about a journey of finding yourself, your self-worth.” The acclaimed actress then explained the significance of “not having to choose” what you culturally identify as when you’re a person of two cultural backgrounds, such as being an American-born Chinese. “You should be able to embrace who you are, where your ancestors came from, because they have many, many interesting stories to tell,” she continued.
Yeoh further emphasized how exciting it is for the show to highlight China’s historical culture, including “the mythological characters” that are “very entrenched in our culture.” The star also expressed excitement to share her culture with “not just the American-born Chinese, but also our friends here from other cultures so they have a better understanding and to see what are the fun things that we get up to.” The series also stars fellow Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan and Daniel Wu. “American Born Chinese” premieres on Disney+ on May 24.
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