The Lady is a film directed by Luc Besson, starring Michelle Yeoh, and released by EuropaCorp in France and Entertainment Film Distributors in the UK
The film is about the life of Aung San Suu Kyi (Yeoh who spent more than a decade under house arrest. David Thewlis portrays Suu Kyi's husband, Dr. Michael Aris.
Rebecca Frayn began working on the project after she and her husband, producer Andy Harries, visited Burma in the early 1990s. Harries' production company Left Bank Pictures began development of the script in 2008 under the working title Freedom from Fear. Harries wanted Michelle Yeoh as the lead and had the script sent to her.
Yeoh had brought the project to Besson because she appreciated him for having directed films about strong women before. Besson took the project on but admitted doubts.
Although petite, Yeoh lost weight for this role. Yeoh described the film as "an incredible love story" against the background of "political turmoil". Paris Match shared her opinion, describing the film as an extraordinary story of love between her deceased husband Michael Aris and a woman who sacrifices her personal happiness for her people.
During the shooting of the film, news broke that Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest had been lifted and Yeoh was allowed to visit her.
On 22 June 2011, Yeoh was deported from Burma, reportedly over her portrayal of Aung San Suu Kyi.
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