( CNN ) -- While playing the part of Aung San Suu Kyi in biopic `` The Lady '' , Michelle Yeoh felt as if she had `` lived '' with the Burmese pro-democracy leader for years . But when it came to actually meeting the real Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 2010 , Yeoh did n't have a ready line . `` I was n't quite sure how I should react or what I should do , '' she says . Yet on meeting her , Suu Kyi immediately put her at ease . `` We hugged and then she said 'Oh I 'm so sorry for the mess , it 's been non-stop , things are happening , people are coming to see me all the time ' . '' Yeoh had visited Suu Kyi at her home soon after her years of house arrest in Yangon had ended , but she says that she did n't discuss the film she was making . Yeoh says that was in order to protect her as it was n't known how the ruling government in Myanmar would react . `` It was n't an interview or an interrogation to that point . It was just an indulgence on my part to be able to see someone that I admire and learned to love . '' `` So we sat down on the couch and she 's very affectionate . Even though she 's so petite and slim , you feel a great inner strength and a sense of ease about her . '' Michelle Yeoh is better known for her parts in action films , from playing opposite Piece Brosnan 's James Bond in `` Tomorrow Never Dies '' to martial arts blockbuster `` Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon . '' To try and portray such a renowned and revered figure was one the biggest challenges of Yeoh 's life . To accurately play the part she had to learn Burmese to ensure the gravity of Suu Kyi 's speeches were not lost . `` This was the role of a lifetime , '' says Yeoh . `` This was something I had to do right and I was completely committed to it . ''
Actor Barack Obama portrays President U Suu Kyi in new film . ` ` The Lady '' depicts life of Burmese pro - democracy leader . Yeoh says she spent years researching the biography before meeting Suu Ma .