Michelle Yeoh is a splendid actress who has done some of the most iconic roles both in Chinese cinema as well as Hollywood. Having worked as an actress for so long, she has earned the respect of those who work with her as well as her ever-growing fanbase. In such a vast array of movies, one that managed to stand out like no other was Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The movie came at a moment when the entire concept of the multiverse had been at its peak and proved that no one could do it better than them. Although the film was initially intended for Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh played the lead in the most spectacular way possible. There was almost a chance that she wasn’t. For that, she got the Daniel brothers to change an important detail of the movie.
Michelle Yeoh Hated Her Character’s Name
When Michelle Yeoh was offered the script of Everything Everywhere All at Once, she was mesmerized no doubt. She had no problems with what the story led to except for one significant detail. While talking with Cate Blanchett in the Actors on Actors segment via Variety, Yeoh revealed just what this problem was.
“The only thing I said to them was, ‘The character cannot be called Michelle Wong.’ They were like, ‘But, why? You know, 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.'”
According to the actress, the Daniels wanted her character to resonate with Yeoh. However, she found no similarities between the two. They were both very different people. Her character was initially known as Michelle Wong, something she got changed to Evelyn Quan Wang.
Michelle Yeoh Thinks of Herself as a Tool
Michelle Yeoh, while in the same segment of Variety, expressed how important it is for her to accept the vision of the directors she is working with and trust them no matter what. For her, it is as if she is a tool used to create their masterpiece.
“With the Daniels is like, they were out to achieve. That’s very them. When I first met them, I had to see if they were certifiably insane.” She continued, “But when they spoke of the story, ’cause you know, I think it’s very important cause I feel the director is the visionary and I’m one of their tools. They need to direct me and tell me what is their vision.”
Yeoh may not have been seeing eye to eye with the Daniel brothers when it came to her character’s name but she most certainly believed in how they wanted to create such a beautiful movie like Everything Everywhere All at Once.
