30-04-2025
Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress Michelle Wai on ‘The Last Dance' and sparking change with her film roles
Hong Kong actor Michelle Wai, who won Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards this Sunday, looks back at her role that defies social stereotypes and inspires understanding and change for the better
Michelle Wai plays Yuet, a paramedic, in Anselm Chan's The Last Dance (2024). But the Hong Kong actor is nothing like her character in real life. 'I'm always full of love and enthusiasm. But Yuet is cold, practical and strong-willed,' she says. The character is also the daughter of a Taoist priest, while Wai knows very little about Taoism; she learnt a lot more about it for the film, which sees her performing the Taoist funeral ritual called 'breaking opening the gates of hell' in one of the movie's now celebrated scenes.
The film is about a Taoist priest who goes into business with a former wedding planner, and who is struggling to maintain good relationships with his adult children. While Taoism traditionally frowns upon female priests, Yuet has to perform the funeral ritual. It involves chanting, dancing, brandishing a sword and jumping over a fire to guide the souls of the dead out of hell; Wai spent a year learning the movements and chants. She won best actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards this year.
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