“She had moved on in stature”: Michelle Yeoh Rejected Returning as Bond Girl in Pierce Brosnan’s 007 Swansong That Might Have Saved the Movie

The James Bond franchise has featured many great actresses since its inception. Termed ‘Bond Girls’ many of them have left an indelible mark on the franchise, gaining widespread appeal for their roles. Yet, amongst all of them, Michelle Yeoh stands apart as an integral part of the 007 franchise, particularly because she wasn’t just a typical Bond girl but instead helped enhance the narrative with her role.

Making her debut as Bond girl in Pierce Brosnan’s Tomorrow Never Dies, the actress was given the chance to reprise her role in Brosnan’s swansong, Die Another Day. While she declined to come back, one cannot help but wonder if her role might have saved the film from failure.

Despite Her Iconic Portrayal, Michelle Yeoh Refused to Return as Bond Girl

The Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh is a brilliant actress who has given many compelling and complex performances in her career. While Yeoh is known to effortlessly deliver emotionally challenging performances, the actress has made a name for herself for her incredible action genius and stunt work. Since the inception of her career, Yeoh has consistently defied perceptions with her action roles.

And her role in Pierce Brosnan‘s Tomorrow Never Dies is no less. Starring as a skilled Chinese spy, Wai Lin, her character marked a significant departure from previous Bond films, where female characters often played secondary roles. Not only did her character’s strength and martial arts skills make her an indispensable part, but she also contributed significantly to the overall thrill of the film.

Yet, when it came to reprising her role in Brosnan’s swansong, Die Another Day, Yeoh refused to come back. In an interview with CinemaBlend recently, director Lee Tamahori revealed the reason why,

So, lots of modifications went on, but yes, Michelle Yeoh was supposed to come back into the picture, and in a not substantial part, but for the Hong Kong sequence… And we went out to see her, we went out to have a meeting with her in Hong Kong, and she turned it down. She didn’t wanna play a small part. … After Crouching Tiger [Hidden Dragon] and all that, she had moved on in stature.

Yeoh’s appearance and chemistry with co-star Brosnan made up an interesting part of Tomorrow Never Dies and it is saddening to know now that she turned it down because it did not meet her expectations. While the past cannot be changed, one cannot help but think if her appearance might have saved the film from critical failure.

Michelle Yeoh in Die Another Day Might Have Saved the Movie

The James Bond franchise is infamous for treating female characters as secondary characters worthy of being ‘romantic interests’ only. However, Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin marked a significant departure from this theme, by introducing a formidable female character who could stand alongside Bond as equals.

An integral part of Tomorrow Never Dies, Yeoh’s appearance in Pierce Brosnan’s Die Another Day would certainly have been treated with the same respect and would have potentially helped make the film rank better among critics. While Tomorrow Never Dies wasn’t as much of a critical success either, the film is now hailed as one of the best James Bond movies of all time.

Meanwhile, Die Another Day, Brosnan’s last outing in the franchise, was a significant commercial success (via The Numbers) yet but now remains largely forgotten and occupies mainly a low rank within the James Bond franchise. In such a scenario, it would be wrong to say that Michelle Yeoh would have singlehandedly saved the film, but there is a possibility her appearance would have provided the edge it was missing.

Even if she were to do a small cameo, her character is one of the most interesting Bond girls of all time, and reintroducing Wai Lin might have provided a stronger, more compelling narrative and potentially salvaged some of the film’s shortcomings. While we can only speculate about this today, there is no denying that Michelle Yeoh’s influence on the James Bond franchise remains significant.

The James Bond franchise can be streamed on Amazon Prime.