In 1998, Michelle Yeoh performed a daring stunt for a National Geographic photo shoot captured by photographer Joe McNally. The photograph was part of a feature story titled “The Globalization of Culture,” which examined the rapid international exchange of cultural icons via film, television, and the burgeoning internet.
“The idea sprang up as I was shooting a story for the National Geographic, conceived, edited and supervised by my dear friend Bill Douthitt...,” Mcnally said. “The story was termed ‘The Globalization of Culture,’ and it examined the rapid rate of the exchange of cultural items and icons, worldwide, via the hyper fast engines of TV, movies, fashion, cuisine and (at that point) the coming ubiquity of the internet. I needed an Asian star, capable of daring stunts, to do something with me to emphasize the growing global influence of movie personalities from Asia in big budget, mainstream Hollywood films.
“Michelle agreed, and I gave her the Hollywood treatment, flying her via helicopter to a dry lake bed considerably outside LA. I made lovely, fashion-driven photos. She’s magnetically beautiful in front of the lens, and I shot pictures like crazy, growing all the more pleased with myself during the course of the day.”
Yeoh did not climb out of the helicopter mid-flight; instead, she was rigged with cables and a harness while still in a hangar. She was then suspended beneath the helicopter and flown for approximately 20 to 25 minutes to reach the Hollywood sign. Despite wearing a “slinky” dress for the shot, Yeoh recalled in a 2022 interview with Jimmy Kimmel that the most challenging aspect was the intense cold at that altitude.
(All photos © by Joe Mcnally)
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