Michelle Yeoh had a blast at the awards season earlier this year after starring in the multiversal drama Everything Everywhere All At Once. The role of the struggling laundromat owner presented her with uncountable accolades. However, the actress had a surprising reaction after reading the script for the first time and wanted to ensure that the Daniel brothers had the perfect vision for the project.
Everything Everywhere All At Once was an exciting take on the Multiversal genre. It presented a distinct approach to the theme that is a very common part of present pop culture. The director duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert were largely responsible for it. According to Michelle Yeoh, she needed to know if they were insane enough to pull off such a thing.
How did Michelle Yeoh first react to Everything Everywhere All At Once?
When Everything Everywhere All At Once was first presented to Michelle Yeoh, she initially thought it to be a risky ride. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she called the Daniel brothers “certifiable insane” after reading the script for the first time. She also reflected similar views during her interview with Cate Blanchett for Variety’s Actors on Actors segment.
According to Michelle Yeoh‘s conversation with Blanchett, she had to ensure that the directors were insane enough to pull off such a crazy adventure. She always considers herself as a director’s tool and knowing the director is important for her before picking any project.
“With the Daniels, I had to see if they were certifiably insane, in the best possible way. It’s very important that I feel the director is a visionary and I’m one of their tools. They need to direct me and tell me what is their vision.”
The director duo certainly did an amazing job as Yeoh’s role as the laundromat owner Evelyn Wang worked very well. The actress received worldwide praise and some of the most prestigious awards including an Oscar for Best Actress.
Even though the A24 project proved to be such a success for Michelle Yeoh, she was almost close to leaving it. The Crazy Rich Asians actress strictly wanted the makers to change the name of her character to join the film.
Michelle Yeoh forced the directors to change her name in the film
As Michelle Yeoh revealed in the conversation with Cate Blanchett, her name in the initial script was Michelle Wang. The 61-year-old actress strongly hated it too and was hellbent on changing her name in the film. Yeoh wanted the character to have a voice of her own and was almost ready to leave the film if the condition was not met.
“The only thing I said to them was, ‘The character cannot be called Michelle Wang.’ They’re like, ‘But why? It’s so you.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m not an Asian immigrant mother who’s running a laundromat. She needs her own voice.’ That was the only thing. I’m like, ‘If you don’t change the name, I’m not coming in.'”
It was the result of Yeoh’s persuasion that it was ultimately changed to Evelyn Wang. She also added about her affinity for working with young filmmakers. Michelle Yeoh loves the challenges that are presented to her by the young directors. The same also happened to her during the 2022 multiversal project which presented her with a unique type of role.
Everything Everywhere All At Once can be streamed on Paramount+.
