Michelle Yeoh’s ‘Sunshine’ Role Was Originally Written for a Man
Michelle Yeoh has made a habit of inhabiting the sort of characters kept away from female actors, especially ones of color. Sometimes those parts aren’t even written for a woman. For example, Yeoh’s role in the 2007 sci-fi thriller Sunshine was originally conceived as a male character. This didn’t stop her from auditioning and landing the part anyway.
‘Sunshine’ is a tense sci-fi thriller about astronauts on the brink
Sunshine is directed by Danny Boyle and written by futurist doomsayer Alex Garland. The movie follows eight international astronauts on the spaceship Icarus II. The group must reignite the dying sun to stop Earth from freezing over by launching a bomb at it. Their plan goes off the rails when they hear a distress beacon from the Icarus I, a ship that disappeared seven years earlier. That side mission goes wrong, and the situation for the crew only gets worse from there.
Cillian Murphy stars as physicist Robert Capa and the rest of the cast includes Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, and Yeoh. Yeoh’s place in Sunshine as Corazon, Icarus II’s chief biologist in charge of the oxygen garden that keeps everyone alive, was initially written as a man.
Most critics praised Sunshine for its visuals, production design, and intelligence in how it deals with its subject matter — at least until the film’s nonsensical third act. But the movie did not do very well at the box office. It only earned $32 million on a $40 million budget.
Michelle Yeoh had to sway Danny Boyle in order to be in ‘Sunshine’
Yeoh participated in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual roundtable alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams, Claire Foy, Emma Corrin, and Danielle Deadwyler.
The talk begins with each performer discussing their experience attempting to win the parts they desire. About two and a half minutes into the video, Yeoh reveals how she convinced Boyle she was meant to be in Sunshine.
Although she was the exact opposite of the type Boyle sought, she still got a meeting with the director. Yeoh asserted that Sunshine’s plot would make more sense not just with her but with other Asian actors.
“I said to him ‘why do you think it’s still the Russians and the Americans [going] into space? Wouldn’t you have more Japanese, and Chinese [involvement] and it would be a more united group going up to save the Earth?'” Yeoh said. “It’s not like a mission to Mars on your own, it would be a more collaborative effort. I think it takes a director of great confidence in who they are and their vision and he changed it.”
Boyle added Hiroyuki Sonata and Benedict Wong to the cast, proving Yeoh had a point about the lack of diversity. (Although the only black actor involved in Sunshine, Chipo Chung, is the faceless voice of the Icarus II computer system.)
It can be risky for actors to assert themselves as Yeoh did. But it is wise for actors to act on their passion for a movie whenever it emerges.
2022 has been an overdue celebration of her career
Yeoh’s long been a respected film industry member, particularly due to her incredible work in action movies. She marked her return from early retirement with Supercop, a role she got partly due to her working relationship with director Stanley Tong when he was a stuntman. It takes a lot to outshine Jackie Chan in a martial arts flick. Yeoh managed by risking her life to pull off some of the most astounding stunts ever filmed.
She again put her body on the line for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This remains the biggest financial success of her career.
But her turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once is a starring role that only happens decades into a person’s career. Evelyn Wong’s journey from stressed-out laundromat owner to the master of the multiverse who understands the value of her family is emotional on its own.
But the story is more moving by Yeoh’s history as an overlooked star who Western studios didn’t know how to handle. She might not win the Oscar. But Yeoh’s performance will be remembered most from this year of films.
