'Everything Everywhere All At Once': Michelle Yeoh wasn't first choice
Everything Everywhere All at Once was a huge commercial and critical success. The film scored 11 nominations at the 95th Academy Awards, while actor Michelle Yeoh scripted history by becoming the first Asian female actor to be nominated in the Best Actress category. But there's a twist in the tale! Yeoh was reportedly not the first choice of the directors to headline the project.
Why does this story matter?
Everything Everywhere... created a solid buzz when it received the maximum number of nominations for the 2023 Oscars, surpassing All Quiet on the Western Front and The Banshees of Inisherin, which received nine nominations each. The movie, which garnered much attention from audiences, was written, directed, and co-produced by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and the cast included '80s child star Ke Huy Quan.
Actor Jackie Chan was director's first choice
Recently, in an interview with CNN, Yeoh revealed that after the Oscar nominations were announced, legendary actor Jackie Chan congratulated her via text and shared with her that the directors, Kwan and Scheinert, had come to see him first. But Chan eventually turned down the film. Later, Yeoh reverted to him by expressing her gratitude for not taking on the part.
Yeoh was supposed to play supporting role
Let's understand the series of events that occurred before Everything Everywhere... went on floors! After the directors finished scripting, they had the idea to cast Chan in the lead role and Yeoh in a supporting role as his character's wife. But soon, Chan turned down the film, and the director duo shifted Yeoh into the lead spot with Ke Huy Quan as her husband.
Yeoh credited the Daniels for success of film
In the same interview, Yeoh, who was widely appreciated for her performance, credited the writer-director duo for the success of the film. She elaborated on how the makers were inspired by their mothers and partners to make Everything Everywhere All At Once. She stated, "They were not afraid of strong women." Notably, the Daniels are nominated for the Oscars in the Best Director category.
'Everything Everywhere...' in a nutshell
Touted as the "multiverse of madness," the film encircles the life of an ordinary Chinese-American woman Evelyn, who owns a laundromat. The movie opens up on a distressing note, showcasing how Evelyn's life is falling apart. She makes an all-out effort to strike a balance when suddenly, the movie takes up an unexpected turn, and she turns into a superhero in a parallel universe.
