Don't mess with Michelle Yeoh: Actress says would've "unleashed years of martial arts training" on Weinstein

Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein must have known better than to mess with Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh.

After The New York Times and The New Yorker published explosive reports detailing several allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against Weinstein, some of Hollywood's leading ladies came forward with their own accounts.

Amongst those who came forward recently were Yeoh, who made it clear in a statement to The Associated Press (AP) on Oct 18 that she would have "unleased years of martial arts training" on him.

The action star said she "knew he was a bully and not always honourable".

She added: "I wasn't exposed to this side of him, otherwise he would have experienced the full effect of years of martial arts training."

Yeoh had crossed paths with Weinstein over the past few years as the filmmaker was an executive producer of two of her most recent works, the Netflix series Marco Polo and the 2016 sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Weinstein has also been a big donor to the American Foundation for Aids Research (amfAR), for which Yeoh is an ambassador. His previous company, Miramax, was also a distributor of Yeoh's earlier films, said the AP report.

The sexual harassment scandal surrounding Weinstein cost him his job at his own movie company as well as his reputation, with A-listers slamming him for his misdeeds.

Over 40 women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, have accused Weinstein of rape, assault and sexual harassment.

Game of Thrones star Lena Headey is the latest to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment, claiming the Hollywood mogul was "furious" when she rejected him, BBC reported.

Despite all the allegations, Weinstein has "unequivocally denied" through his spokesperson any accusations of non-consensual relationships.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg