Why Michelle Yeoh Rejected A Wai Lin Cameo In The James Bond Movie Die Another Day

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There are few franchises in the history of cinema that can rival that of "James Bond." Created by author Ian Fleming, the spy known as 007 made himself known to the world thanks to Sean Connery's portrayal in 1962's smash hit "Dr. No." Ever since, even after Connery's tenure ended, Bond has been a staple of the silver screen.

Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") made her mark on the series with her role as Wai Lin in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies." Yeoh was the main Bond girl in Pierce Brosnan's second entry as Bond, following in the footsteps of "GoldenEye," which successfully revived the series after a long absence. Yeoh, it turns out, could have returned once more in Brosnan's final "Bond" movie as well, namely 2002's "Die Another Day." So, what happened? Why didn't Yeoh return?

"I was asked one time to come back to do a cameo," Yeoh explained to Radio Times in January 2025. "But unfortunately, I was filming, I was producing my own movie ... Sometimes life throws tough choices at you."

She didn't specify which movie, but Yeoh's first producing credit came on 2002's "The Touch," which happened to be the same year "Die Another Day" was released. In 2024, that movie's director, Lee Tamahori, explained what happened from his side of the table in an interview with CinemaBlend.

"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."

Indeed, director Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was not only a hugely influential martial arts film, but a huge hit at that. It catapulted Yeoh to a different level of stardom and a cameo, even if it was in a "James Bond" movie, was probably far less appealing to her than it might have been even just a couple of years earlier.

"Tomorrow Never Dies" was a hit, taking in $339 million at the box office. Even if it wasn't as big of a hit as "GoldenEye," it was more than enough to keep the franchise alive. The same can't necessarily be said for "Die Another Day," oft-cited as one of the worst "James Bond" movies ever made. It was also enough for the producers to move on from Brosnan. They instead opted to reboot the series with Daniel Craig, who headlined 2005's "Casino Royale," generally considered one of the very best entries in the series. Craig starred in five movies as 007 in total, culminating in 2021's "No Time to Die." 

Halle Berry's Jinx had been eyed to lead a possible spin-off after her appearance in "Die Another Day," but that idea was killed in no small part due to the film's very poor reception. Meanwhile, Yeoh went on to star in huge hits such as "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Kung Fu Panda 2," and "Crazy Rich Asians," among many other projects. She may well have dodged a bullet by passing on this one.

You can grab "James Bond: The Pierce Brosnan Collection" on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.