It happens all the time, actors and actresses are edited out of movies because cuts need to be made and subplots and sidestories are the easiest to cull first, but not usually to someone like Michelle Yeoh.
According to Kung Fu Cult Cinema that’s exactly what happened:
Fearless was originally about two and a half hours in length, but after small test screenings, several professionals in the field suggested shortening it. They felt the movie was a little too wordy and advised deletion of an Olympics theme, seen as not central to the movie.
In the movie, Michelle Yeoh played an Olympic committee official…
…Director Ronny Yu eventually trimmed Fearless from 143 to 103 minutes, also cutting an action scene featuring Li and a Thai fighter.
Now that is a shame because Yeoh is gorgeous…ermm…and a great actress and screen presence. However that’s movies I’m afraid. We may see her on a DVD version, and at least she till got paid.
If they don’t include the deleted fight scene in the DVD, I’m gonna get pretty pissed off. As far as Michelle Yeoh being cut, I guess she’s doing more of a cameo, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Hopefully these scenes will turn up on the DVD because I’d love to see that trimmed fight scene.
I know it happens all the time but it always annoys me when I hear about it, I always wonder about what has happened in the scenes that have been cut.