17 years before winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Michelle Yeoh was meant to have a major role in Fearless, a film now regarded as a true martial arts masterpiece. In recent years, Yeoh has emerged as a major star, appearing in a mulтιтude of critically acclaimed films, from Everything Everywhere All at Once to Crazy Rich Asians. Long before all that, Michelle Yeoh’s movie career was considerably different, with the actress being originally ᴀssociated with the martial arts genre.

Yeoh began her slow rise to fame by kicking off the Yes, Madam! and In the Line of Duty franchise, and also appeared alongside Jackie Chan in Police Story 3: Supercop. In the years that followed, Michelle Yeoh appeared in several other martial arts movies, including some that she headlined herself. Easily her biggest contribution to the genre was the 2000 wuxia classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Six years later, Yeoh was cast in another film that would develop a reputation as one of the best martial arts movies of the 2000s, but Yeoh was removed from the final cut.

Michelle Yeoh Was Cut From Jet Li’s Fearless

Michelle Yeoh Was Supposed To Introduce The Life Story Of Jet Li’s Fearless Character

Michelle Yeoh landed the role of Miss Yang in Fearless, a martial arts period piece that told the story of real-life kung fu master Huo Yuanjia. But ultimately, Yeoh had no role in the movie, outside the director’s cut. In the original cut, Fearless was meant to open the story with a present-day sequence in which Michelle Yeoh would be introduced as martial arts Miss Yang, who would appear before a committee and give a pᴀssionate defense of wushu (Huo Yuanjia’s style of martial arts) and argue that it be added to the Olympics. This is used to segue into Huo Yuanjia’s life story, which Yeoh would begin narrating before the film shifts its focus to his storyline.

Issues with the runtime kept the filmmakers from going with this plan for Fearless, as 140 minutes was deemed too long for the theatrical release. The present-day portion with Michelle Yeoh, along with other sequences, were subsequently cut from the movie. However, Michelle Yeoh’s contribution to Fearless can still be seen, via the movie’s director’s cut. Not everything that was removed was added back into the film, but it does include the original opening with Michelle Yeoh.

Why Jet Li’s Fearless Is Still A Martial Arts Movie Masterpiece

It May Very Well Be Jet Li’s Best Martial Arts Movie

In spite of her talent and clout as a martial arts star, Michelle Yeoh being cut from Fearless was not to the detriment of the film in the end. It would have served in a purpose, as it would have demonstrated Huo Yuanjia’s long-term impact. But as a period piece, it may have been best for Fearless to remain stuck in the past and not risk losing its immersive feel.

Fearless not being hurt by its cuts is made clear by the legacy it currently holds, even after all these years. Fearless has long received considerable praise, due in large part to its beautifully choreographed action sequences and utilization of Jet Li’s wushu fighting style and athletic prowess. The movie doesn’t hold back in its approach to the action, offering several intense fight scenes as Huo Yuanjia’s story unfolds.

Similar to Jet Li’s previous martial arts epics, such as the Once Upon a Time in China series and Hero, Fearless is more than just an action vehicle that showcases Jet Li’s skills; it crafts a fully-realized take on a bygone period in China’s history, complete with several memorable characters and an emotional, thought-provoking narrative for Huo Yuanjia. It may not be historically accurate to the martial artist’s life, but the version of him that it creates is a standout kung fu movie protagonist.