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We’ll call it the whenever, wherever workout. That sums up how Michelle Yeoh kept fit after
she starred with Pierce Brosnan in the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. After the release of
the movie in 1997, her busy travel schedule didn’t allow for her usual dance classes and
exercise routine at the gym.
Yeoh said she used to spend eight hours a day in the gym when she was doing action films in Hong
Kong. Those were the pre-Bond years, starting with a commercial she did with actor Jackie Chan in
1984, which led to her first movie in 1985. “Now I can hop onto a StairMaster and be on it for
1 1/2 hours. I’m very fit because of all the years as an athlete and as a dancer.” One of
Hong Kong’s top female action stars, she began studying dance when she was 4 in her native
Malaysia.
When we hooked up, Yeoh, who’s 5 feet, 4 1/2 inches, added that she does leg kicks and squats
while she’s brushing her teeth.
Question: You also probably brush longer that way.
Answer: And then when I’m putting on my lotion, I do my stretches again. And throughout the
day—if I’m reading, I do my sit-ups. If I’m in plane rides, I do sit-ups. If
I’m waiting for a meeting—if someone else is not there, I do push-ups. From the minute I
wake up, before I get out of bed, I’m stretching.
Q: Where did you get all this discipline?
A: From dance. And from, I think, going to school in Malaysia. We are very regimented. It’s a
very strict way of studying, of going to school. It’s about discipline. It’s about
dedication.
Q: Any other exercises?
A: I play a lot of squash. I swim. I’ve started to rock climb. It’s how hard you want to
push yourself, how high you want to go. It’s about making and attaining goals.
Q: Let’s talk about food. Don’t you appreciate home cooking now?
A: Oh, my God. Whenever I go home, the first thing my mom always says to me is, “You’re
so skinny.” I have eight meals a day. My mom and her friends, who are wonderful, bring me food
at 7:30 in the morning. They’ll sit there and watch you eat.
Q: What happens when you’re traveling so much—what do you eat?
A: I’ve always been one that never deprives myself of anything, especially when it comes to
food. I do stay away from sugar because my dad and my grandmother have diabetes. I have a sweet
tooth, but I am able to cut out sugar in my coffee, for example. I won’t drink any sodas,
those kinds of things. But if I want to have a cheesecake or a double-chocolate whammy, I will. I
just don’t overindulge. I’ve always loved vegetables. My friends know that whenever they
invite me for a meal, I’m happy as long as they have tons of vegetables.
Q: What would you have for breakfast?
A: Cereal, bran flakes, milk, coffee. If I don’t have my cereal and I see a muffin down the
road, I will have that. And I find I eat a lot of meals a day. I can’t sit down and have a big
meal. People think, “Oh, God, you eat like a bird,” but if they look, they’ll see I
eat slowly because I love savoring my foods.
Q: You enjoy the whole ritual of a meal, don’t you?
A: Exactly. It’s an experience, sitting there and having a good glass of wine. And I will have
a cigar. I love that too.
Q: How soon do you eat after breakfast?
A: Probably about 10:30 or 11 a.m. I’ll have a peanut butter sandwich on toast and then lunch.
I love pasta. I love salads. Salad’s the big thing for me. I love breads. I’m not a very
big meat eater. I used to be, but I gave it up for Lent because I’m a Buddhist and I made a
wish because my dad was not well. So I gave that up. I never thought I could live without my beef
and my hamburger and all that, but I’ve done so. And then after lunch, I love going for teas
because I lived in England for so long. High teas. Food, for me, is also about ambience—that
feeling of sitting by the fireplace or being outside in the sunlight.
Q: What happens after high tea?
A: Dinner. That is the time when I’m most sociable. Especially if I’m away. I’m in
some places for short periods of time and there are so many friends I want to see and I love
bringing people together.
Q: What would be a perfect dinner for you?
A: Oh, God, a perfect dinner. Let me see. I love seafood. Lobster and lots of vegetables. I love
oysters too. Wherever I travel, I eat the things that are very local. I find that you learn a lot
about the place by eating the food. I mean, what is the point of coming in from Hong Kong and
going straight for a Chinese meal?
Q: Saving the best for last—dessert?
A: I love desserts. Ice creams, cakes. A lot of times if I see the dessert tray go by, I’ll
just say, “Stop!” at the beginning of a meal. Whoever made the rule that I have to start
with a salad or appetizer?
Q: What size are you—a two?
A: Zero. You know, flat. Yeah, I do have a butt—and I have to work on
that.
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