I'm Confident that Malaysia's Datuk Michelle Yeoh will play the role of Aung San Suu Kyi very well. Such Challenges aren't new to this Hollywood Star.
KUALA LUMPUR: After three months of work playing Myanmar freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi in The Lady, Datuk Michelle Yeoh can take a breather as filming of the biopic wrapped up on Jan 18.
In an exclusive e-mail to The Daily Chilli, an official of EuropaCorp-Left Bank Pictures-France 2 Cinema (the maker of The Lady), confirmed that the film was in its post-production.
“We have yet to set a release date for Malaysia,” she said.
“But definitely, The Lady will be released worldwide later this year. The shooting is finished and they (Michelle and director Luc Besson) are doing the post-production.”
In an earlier interview with a foreign daily, Michelle described her experience playing Suu Kyi as awe-inspiring. “When I got the script, I thought either my agent wants to kill me or he’s telling me I need a challenge,” she was quoted as saying.
On her first private meeting with Suu Kyi at the Yangon International Airport, Michelle said: “The first thing we did was hug and I thought she was really skinny! One of the first things she said was ‘Why doesn’t the BBC World Service have more music?’
“You feel a real sense of calm when you’re with her. She’s a very striking figure. She is so proud of her culture and the best way to show it is with dignity and elegance. She has a glow and an aura about her.”
Directed by the acclaimed French actor, The Lady also stars British actor David Thewlis (of Harry Potter fame) as Suu Kyi’s university academic husband, Michael Aris.
The script was written over a period of three years by Rebecca Frayn, who spoke to key figures in Suu Kyi’s entourage to enable her to have a personal account of the national heroine who was put under house arrest for a great part of her life.
Filming of the movie, which began on Oct 18, was shot in Thailand, Myanmar, Britain and France.
-The Star
