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Tavis: I am pleased to welcome Michelle Yeoh to this program. The talented actress has starred in films like the Oscar-winning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies.' Just saw it again the other day. Her latest project is the screen version of "Memoirs of a Geisha.' The film is in select cities now, with more on the way December 23rd. Michelle Yeoh, nice to meet you.

Michelle Yeoh: Nice to meet you, Tavis.

Tavis: I'm glad to have you here.

Yeoh: Thank you.

Tavis: This may be a strange way to start a conversation with you about a project, a movie in which we see the story of Asian culture, a piece of Asian culture, more specifically a Japanese culture. But you seem to have been on this mission, maybe it wasn't a mission, but you have certainly destroyed every stereotype I think there is about Asian women. I mean, from the kicking to, all the stuff that you do, was that, like a strategy of yours? When you got in this business, did you want to defy those stereotypes?

Yeoh: Yes, in certain ways, but when I first started out, it wasn't like the plan, to be honest. When I got into the film industry, it was really by accident. I had gone to Hong Kong to do a commercial and someone said, 'Would you like to be in the films?' And I knew nothing about the industry at all. And the first movie that I played, I played the very stereotypical role, the damsel in distress. The one who's crying in the corner, and the guys who come and rescue.

But fortunately, I come from a background of ballet and sports. And so physical movement was very much part of my makeup. And in Hong Kong, martial arts, you know, is dearly loved and well made in Hong Kong. So when I did my second film, someone got wise and said 'Well look, you know, we have a girl from Malaysia. She's not our local Hong Kong girl. Why are we putting her in the same box as we normally do?'

Then the choice was doing comedies or action. And I had watched an action film before, and I thought really it's very similar to choreography of dance. Because all the movements are choreographed, and then afterwards, you beat the hell out of each other.

Tavis: (laughs) I was about to say, the only difference Michelle, is, I assume, I'm not a dancer, but I assume that dance doesn't hurt the way that getting kicked does.

Yeoh: You would be surprised. Like a ballerina. You see them effortless on the stage. But they have bleeding toes, back problems, you know. So many problems. But you never see what goes on behind. In an action movie, obviously, you see the after takes, you know, when we fall off by mistake or someone runs into your head or something silly like that.

Then afterwards, when I was offered roles, I made it a very conscious effort to select roles that would portray Asian women the way they are. It's no longer like the Susie Kwan, or the girlfriends of triads (ph). We should step away from that.

Tavis: This movie, as you well know, had some critics when it first was discovered that you all were doing this. And it premiered in Tokyo, I guess. There were some critics I've read about who were concerned about the fact that this movie, about Asian women, is written by a white guy, directed by a white guy.

The stars of it are not necessarily, they're not Japanese. So that there are some people in Japan who had a real problem with that. How do you juxtapose what you said earlier about wanting Asian women to be seen in their full complexity, and the controversy surrounding this particular project, on some level, obviously.

Yeoh: I truly believe that Rob, and especially after you've seen the movie, you will agree with me that he is the perfect director. Perhaps he is not Japanese, or Asian. He does not have to be so confined by a lot of regulations. You know? Our culture would not do this, will not do that. This really is our celebration of the Japanese culture. A glimpse into the geisha world, which is so mysterious. And a lot of people probably misunderstand. And do not really understand what it is about.

And then at the end of the day, when we do Asian films, for example, we play Japanese, Koreans. We play each other all the time. So it's never been a problem. It's very similar to the Americans playing a German or the French playing the Brits. It's like that. It's always how it's been. I think the most important thing is as an actor, when you are presented the role, you pay the culture your ultimate respect by making sure you research into it.

You will do the things correctly and properly. But at the end of the day, we are not doing a documentary, we're not trying to, you know, recreate exactly what it is. We are trying to take you on a journey to a place that was in the '20s and the '30s, to a beautiful part of Japan. And meet this incredible, breathtaking characters.

Tavis: Speaking of these breathtaking characters. I was about to ask you whether or not the movie radically departs from the book. But I thought, I better not ask that, I better ask, for those who haven't read the book, to share more about the story line, period, of the movie.

Yeoh: The novel is like 400 pages and in a movie, our script is normally 160 pages maximum. So you have to condense. And this story goes for 30 years of her life. What is the most important thing is Rob has really given you the essence of the book. And then after that, you really don't care whether you've read the book or not read the book.

Because once the movie starts, it's like you pull aside these blinds, the veils, you know? And you start this boat ride and you meander through these beautiful landscapes, and all these different characters jump into your boat. They hold your hand. They talk to you. And then others will come and they leave. And at the end of the day, you just sit there and go 'Wow. Oh, my God.'

Tavis: Did I read somewhere, or maybe Stephanie told me, I read somewhere or somebody told me that - English is your first language.

Yeoh: Well, because I come from Malaysia, Malay is supposed to be my first language.

Tavis: Supposed to be. But you learned English first?

Yeoh: Yes.

Tavis: How did you manage this?

Yeoh: (laughs) Well, then after that, I went on to England to study ballet. So English became my first language. Then when I was working in Hong Kong, Cantonese became the next language. And then when I did "Crouching Tiger" in Beijing, then Mandarin became my next language. So I've been picking up languages along the way.

Tavis: It must be hard reading these scripts, when English is - you had to get everything translated.

Yeoh: When I did "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" I did it 'Ping Ying,' you know, sounds like, because I don't read Chinese. So I could understand my co-stars when they were doing "Memoirs of a Geisha.' For example, Koji Yakusho or Kaori Momoi, they don't read English, so they had to translate it. And it sounds like what they're supposed to say.

Tavis: This may sound stupid. I assume then that - your being so fluent obviously with English as your first tongue, has allowed you as an actress of Asian descent to do more and to have more opportunities than others who may be talented, but haven't...

Yeoh: You're right. You're absolutely right. You know, first of all, here in America in Hollywood, English is the first language and possibly the only language that they film. So it is important. Like when we are back at home, and people would ask, you know, what is the criteria for you to be able to go to America and work there? Apart from being very lucky, you must speak English.

Because, you know, how would you do the roles? You know, "Memoirs of a Geisha," this kind of film doesn't come very often. In fact, this is probably the first time where it's an all Asian cast, English language of such a high budget, you know with an amazing Oscar-winning director and his team. And we have the opportunity to play in it.

Tavis: So you have a production company as well?

Yeoh: Yes.

Tavis: So tell me about the kinds of projects. I mean, this is a project that you're starring in, obviously. Tell me about the kind of projects that you choose to produce?

Yeoh: Well, when I did - I've done two films, "The Touch" and "Silver Hawk.' We really wanted to be able to bridge the east and the west. I think it's very important. Films are very - an amazing way for people to understand more about each other's cultures; to visit places where you might not have the opportunity to go to, at the present moment in time.

When we did "The Touch," we shot in Tibet, in Tun-Huang, in places, historical value in China. And we very much wanted our counterparts across the world to see what we enjoy so much. As a producer, obviously I was trying to find roles selfishly for myself, hopefully to find the ultimate role, but it is hard.

It was so difficult to balance the two at the same time. I think the next time I would prefer to produce and not to be acting in it. Because at the end of the day, I don't get to enjoy the actor part. Because as a producer, you know, it's about being crisis management.

Tavis: Let me ask you right quick. So as evidenced by your list of credits, you know what it takes to be in a film that becomes a hit stateside here in the US. So what does it take to produce a movie that becomes a hit anywhere in the Orient?

Yeoh: No, I would not dare say I know that. I think I've been very, very lucky. I've been very lucky in having the directors choose me as well to be in their films. I think a lot of the times when you read something and you know that it would, it has the potential or the great possibility of doing well and the cast is amazing, but then at the end of day, will the directors look at you and think, 'You are what I want.' And it's hard, you know? Because there's so much great talent out there. I felt so blessed. You know, I fainted when I got the phone call.

Tavis: There's a lot of great talent in "Memoirs of a Geisha.' It is shot beautifully. And we will see how well it does here when it opens nationwide on December 23rd. Michelle Yeoh, nice to meet you.

Yeoh: Nice meeting you.

Tavis: That's our show for tonight. You can catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Check your local listings. See you back here next time on PBS. Until then, good night from Los Angeles. Thanks for watching. And as always, keep the faith.