【杨紫琼致哈佛法学院2023毕业生（part 1）】我只是个演员，但我还是有话对你们说

BGM: A Thousand Years --the piano guys

歌曲推荐：Moonlight -Henry（刘宪华）

Michelle Yeoh’s keynote speech to Harvard Law School graduates of 2023

Good afternoon, and thank you, Dean Manning, Dean Ball, and Dean Bok for this rare and distinguished honor, and congratulations to the class of 2023.

What an incredible day. Ladino Moore of an impressive academic journey. Congratulations as well to parents, partners, and family members of all the students here today. I can only imagine the pride and joy you must have to see your loved ones graduate from what I understand is the best law school in the country to the graduating cohort. I consider it a privilege to have been asked to speak to you as you are about to unleash yourself on the world. This moment conjures up the exciting image of a high diver poised to leap into the void. As you know, I am not a lawyer, I can't even say that I have played one on the screen, so  why am I here? Why have I been asked to deliver the keynote speech to you on this pivotal day in your lives as you dive headfirst into a presumably bright, but unpredictable future?

Well, maybe the reason I'm here is because I happen to have some experience leaping off high purchase into scary voids, so do allow me to offer some simple pointers that Ihave picked up along the way in my career full of leaps and dives, how to survive the fallin three easy steps by Michelle Yeoh. The first one is pretty obvious, but not always easy. 

Stay loose.

My journey from Malaysia, IPO Malaysia to the Academy Awards Siege began with my first love which was not acting but dance. I knew at a very young age that my gift was to communicate through movement. In my studies, I found freedom in discipline and focus. I trained tirelessly day and night drilling my body in every aspect of the craft. More importantly, I trained in my mind to be still, to silence the whispers of self-doubt. Dance was my safe place, my inevitable future, and my undeniable path, so I enrolled in aballet school in England and began living my dream.

Unfortunately, life had other plans. I suffered a spinal injury and just like that, I watched everything vanish into thin air. Life as I knew it was over. With my dreams of dance crushed, I credit the principal of my school for giving me the encouragement that ultimately led me to a career beyond my imagination. It was she who encouraged me to stay loose about my future. When falling, the tendency is to tighten up to brace for impact, but in truth, the safest thing one can do is remain calm even curious about the shifting world around you.

After graduating with a degree in creative arts, I returned home more open to other possibilities outside the box. With this awareness came the freedom to make choices I might not have otherwise been able to. This opened the door to doing a commercial in Hong Kong, then to acting roles and the start of my life in film which leads me to my second piece of advice.