The sequence was shot in an outdoor Mahjong parlor with real games going on around the staged scene with the two actresses and two other extras. Yeoh says because the script notes specific moves and results in the game the scene was very technical. She also thought Chu’s decision to have it be so noisy around the characters conversation around intimate and important topics was inherently clever.
“It was almost like just the two of us having this game and it was a very interesting duel,” Yeoh says. “We talked long and debated about how things should be said and should not be said. I come from the place that I am going to hold on to the fact that I understand the traditions and what had happened so then when we were playing it, he let us really go for it. You know? He’s like, ‘How would you tackle the situation?’ And it was very obvious because you know how you can only be as good as your sparring partner or your dance partner, right? And it was very interesting because he just let us go. ‘Come on, you two just take it away!’”
Yeoh’s career is on the upswing and not just because of her big screen success. She recently formed a new production company with a first look deal with SK Global Entertainment which initially financed “Crazy Rich Asians” and she was arguably one of the best parts of the first season of “Star Trek: Discovery.” There are rumors CBS wants a spin-off show centered on her character, but she laughed when asked about it saying, “Oh, O.K. We’re not gonna go there. We can’t talk about it. Not allowed. There are so many talks.”
As for any potential awards hopes for her work in “Crazy,” the film just earned a Best Ensemble honor from the National Board of Review, Yeoh is realistic. She already experienced the awards marathon with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (where she was robbed of an acting nomination) and is almost too busy to contemplate the prospects for “Crazy.” But she is immensely proud of the film and its cultural impact in America.
Yeoh adds, “I think these last couple years with ‘Black Panther,’ ‘with ‘Get Out,’ with all these other things, people are like, ‘Come on. We audiences want this inclusive diversity but it can’t be diversified if you’re not inclusive in the first place.’ It has to start at the top, right?”
And with her new deal expect Yeoh to be part of that inclusivity either in front of or behind the camera. And, of course, she’s ready for the “Crazy Rich Asians” sequel, “China Rich Girlfriend,” not that she was going to give any secrets away about that one. Not yet, anyway.
“Crazy Rich Asians” is available for digital download on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
