( CNN ) -- She added smart to sexy as a Bond girl opposite Pierce Brosnan 's 007 , and proved her dramatic and action credentials in `` Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon , '' but for actress Michelle Yeoh , life and acting are both all about balance . Michelle Yeoh : `` There are reasons why you do movies . It 's for the love of it . '' `` I think it 's very boring for my audience , just to see me in the regular roles . I love my action films . And I think right now , I have a nice balance , '' she told CNN 's Talk Asia . Poise and balance are something that Yeoh is naturally blessed with . Her childhood dream of becoming a professional ballerina was dashed when she sustained an injury while training at the Royal Academy of Dance in London . However , she continued to study completing a degree in dance and a minor in drama , before serving as Miss Malaysia at the age of 21 , which was more of an ambassadorial role for the country 's tourism industry than bikini modeling . Making her film debut in an action movie in 1984 , she made further appearances in Hong Kong action films doing her own stunts , until she married millionaire Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon in 1988 and put her career on hold . On giving up acting for the sake of her married life she said : `` At that time , it 's very difficult to try and juggle a normal life , be where your husband is , try to start a family life , and filming months on end in another country . So I weighed my options . I am a person that believes , you have to give your all . There 's no half measure in doing things . You do it well or at least you 've got to give it your best shot . '' The couple divorced three years later and Yeoh resumed her film career in 1992 in the Jackie Chan smash-hit `` Police Story 3 . '' While she continued to use her athleticism in her roles and do her own stunts , in the pursuit of playing good characters and that all-important balance , she credits the directors she has chosen to work with . `` I look at the scripts and you can understand where the story is going ... but it 's a director with a vision that brings it to life , '' she said . `` There are reasons why you do movies . It 's for the love of it or you 're thinking of your paycheck . And you have to find your own balance . '' When it came to doing `` Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon , '' Ang Lee was the essential ingredient . `` I did it really because I adore Ang Lee . That 's a true film maker , where they move you , they bring you to places where you ca n't imagine but want to be . '' But being an all-or-nothing person has taken its toll when it has come to the stunts she has performed . Yeoh tore her anterior cruciate ligament after the first sequence she performed for `` Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon , '' which meant that only the dramatic scenes in the film could be shot until she had recovered . Yeoh has turned her attention to producing as well as acting and found it a challenging experience . `` As an actor you would be judged on how your performance is and so that 's where your focus is . It 's a very selfish environment and that sense , because as you know , you ca n't make excuses afterwards . But as a producer , you have to make sure everyone is well protected and everyone is safe . And if anything goes wrong , it 's all on your shoulders , '' she told CNN . The films she produced , 2002 's `` The Touch '' and `` Sliver Hawk '' from 2004 were panned by critics , but she makes no excuses : `` That 's the nature of the business . You should never take these things personally when it works or does n't work . '' And when it comes to passing on what she 's learned to young Asian actors , her advice is typically practical . `` For any Asian face , or any Asian girls that have dreams , aspirations or doing crossover work in Hollywood , you must have the language . These are your tools . And then afterwards , the right face , the right demeanor , and the right chemistry . ''
Trained and turned to acting after studying at college . Performs her own roles and has played stronger female roles in Asian cinema . International recognition came as a young girl and ` ` Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon ''