When someone talks about action movie icons, the names that are mentioned are the names of the male actors.
The name of a female actress is rarely mentioned despite the fact that there are many female actresses who have made the action genre their main field of work and have been elevated to the main pillar of the story – especially actors from Asia.
Little known except for individuals who have become international artists, here are five Asian female action actors who are quite feared in movies because they are able to perform tough actions; even the male group may not want to play it.
1. Jeeja Yanin (Thailand)
Tony Jaa and the film ‘Ong Bak’ are responsible for re-starting the phenomenon of Thai action films, acting out realistic and practical action scenes, which allow every fight to have a real impact.
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, her hand touch afterward became the talk of the town. Among the films that surprised many was ‘Chocolate’ released in 2008, which introduced the international community to a flirtatious girl named Yanin ‘Jeeja’ Vismitananda. Jeeja Yanin Biography, Wiki, Chocolate 2, Height, Movies, and more
Watch Chocolate Official HD Movie Trailer – Director of Ong Bak
Playing the role of an autistic girl with extraordinary fighting abilities, the film, despite being criticized for its sloppy storyline, saw Yanin show off her fighting skills to the public for the first time.
A holder of a black belt in the martial art of taekwondo and trained in the art of muay thai, Yanin’s action in the film is indeed stunning.
Yanin’s ability to bring great action has allowed him to be called to join projects with other big names such as Michael Jai White, Scott Adkins and of course Tony Jaa himself.
2. Veronica Ngo (Vietnam)
Her name may not be well known in Malaysia, but for fans of action movies – this Vietnamese actress is now one of the big names among resilient actresses.
Known as Veronica Ngo or Ngô Thanh Vân, this woman born in 1979 started her career as a part-time model before making a name for herself as a singer with the release of 6 albums.
After getting the chance to act in a local drama, Ngo’s steps got longer after being offered to act in a movie. He first became famous as an action genre actor, often teaming up with Vietnamese star Johnny Tri Nguyen.
Watch FURIE (2019) Movie Official Trailer
The rising profile allowed Ngo to portray the role of Paige Tico in the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi which opened a wider path for her in Hollywood.
Ngo played a small role in the movie ‘Bright’ with Will Smith before his film acting at home in the movie ‘Furie’ established his name as an action actor whose ability can no longer be denied.
After that Ngo participated in a project with the famous director Spike Lee and partnered with Charlize Theron in the movie ‘The Old Guard’ which received a good response, now is in the process of production of the sequel.
3. Juju Chan (Hong Kong)
Being called the ‘female version of Bruce Lee is a flattering but less favorable comparison for Juju Chan. This is because for him, the burden is not something that is easy to bear.
His background does not run away from the art of self-defense. Juju is a taekwondo athlete who has represented Hong Kong in international competitions and is highly skilled in the martial art of muay thai.
His name as an action actor began to be known after he was selected to play one of the characters in the connection to the legendary film ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ which is ‘Sword of Destiny’, together with Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh.
The appearance led him to be called in several projects in the action genre. He played one of the main characters in the Netflix TV series ‘Wu Assasins with Indonesian action actor Iko Uwais and was involved in several different action genre titles.
4. Liu Yifei (China)
Seeing her beautiful and gentle face makes us not think that Liu Yifei’s background is similar to an action movie.
Yifei’s name became known to international fans after playing the main role of Hua Mulan in the Disney film ‘Mulan’ , but her career as an action actress began earlier than that.
Yifei, who emigrated with his family, chose to return to his native China at the age of 15 to continue his studies in the field of acting. He started getting offers to act in TV drama series based on wuxia (Chinese martial art) which exploded among the fans of the TV series.
After starring in 6 wuxia TV series, Yifei started getting offers to join the movie world in the movie ‘The Fobidden Kingdom’ which lined up Jackie Chan and Jet Li as the two main characters. This film is responsible for introducing Yifei to the international community.
A practitioner of the art of wushu swordplay from a young age, Yifei makes full use of his skills to play characters that require high skill in every available scene.
5. Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia)
Unlike the other names on this list, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, born in Ipoh, Perak, never studied martial arts. She is a ballet dancer who has been training since she was 4 years old.
After reaching the age of 15, he followed his family to the United Kingdom where he joined the UK Royal Academy of Dance in the art of ballet. After suffering an injury, he changed his direction and began to major in drama production as the focus of his education.
His name became known after winning a beauty pageant organized in London as a representative of our country. It was from there that he began to be lured by producers from Hong Kong, who brought Dato’ Michelle to participate in several film projects with Hong Kong star Jackie Chan.
His collaboration with actor Jet Li in two films namely Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun yielded great results, prompting Yeoh to star in the James Bond film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ alongside Pierce Brosnan.
However, we cannot deny his acting in the classic film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon cemented his name as a legend of the international film industry.
Now 60 years old, Yeoh’s long career in the action genre can still be seen in his latest movie ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ where Yeoh still displays hard fighting actions despite only playing the role of a housewife.
For a ballet dancer, Michelle Yeoh’s achievement as a star of the world’s action genre is undeniable. His career is often referred to as a model to follow, to those who want to make a name for themselves as a successful international artist.