One of the best and most-talked about movies of 2022 is definitely Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Directed and written by the Daniels, aka Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film follows Evelyn, a woman who is being audited by the IRS when she discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse. Literally, THIS is a multiverse of madness.
Everything Everywhere All at Once has become a good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth smash hit, with more and more people flocking to theaters to see it. In fact, it recently became A24's highest grossing film at the domestic box office of all time, which is a massive accomplishment.
Alongside an amazing story, the film also boasts an extremely talented cast, who we should all hopefully see getting their much-deserved praise when awards season comes around. So, to celebrate Everything Everywhere All at Once, below are some photos of the cast in their first big role vs. in the movie vs. IRL:
1. Michelle Yeoh in her first role as Ms. Yeung in The Owl vs Bombo in 1984:
Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
Michelle has called the film one of the highlights of her career, but the role was originally meant for Jackie Chan. The Daniels even went to China to offer the role to Jackie. Now, Michelle won't let her friend live down the fact that he turned down such an iconic role. "Jackie actually texted me," Michelle recalled. "And he says: 'Wow, I hear amazing things about your movie. Did you know that the boys came to see me in China?' And I said: 'Yes, your loss, my bro!'"
Michelle Yeoh in real life:
2. Stephanie Hsu in her first notable role as "Female Protestor" in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:
Stephanie Hsu as Joy Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
Speaking about filming Everything Everywhere All at Once, Stephanie said she was "fearless" because it was her first big movie. "I had no concept of how Hollywood works. I just got so lucky, and I think was able to achieve that performance because I was fearless and I was not afraid of how people would perceive me to other work because it was just my first big feature," Stephanie told Collider. "But I remember telling Dan Kwan at the time, I was like, 'This movie is gonna bring people back to the movie theaters!'"
Stephanie Hsu in real life:
3. Ke Huy Quan in his first role as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984:
Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
After being a well-known child actor, Ke took a long break from acting, but after seeing Crazy Rich Asians, he signed with a new agent and the first script he read was for Everything Everywhere All at Once. He told GQ, "I saw my fellow Asian actors up on the screen [in Crazy Rich Asians], and I had serious FOMO because I wanted to be up there with them. I thought about it for a long time, because I hadn’t done it in 20 years, and you don’t know if people will still embrace you. But when I stepped in front of the camera again, I realized that's what was missing all those years."
Ke Huy Quan in real life:
4. James Hong in his first role as Judge #4 in TV Reader's Digest in 1955:
James Hong as Gong Gong in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
James established East West Players to help increase Asian representation in the acting industry, and he said that this movie is a great example of how far they've come. He hopes every Asian actor gets a role like Michelle Yeoh's Evelyn. "I hope in my lifetime, I see them all, eventually, in much bigger roles," he explained. "So like Stephanie [Hsu], the leading lady, and Ke [Huy Quan], who has returned back to the industry. He stayed off for a long time, because there were no roles. Now there are! I'm so happy."
James Hong in real life:
5. Jamie Lee Curtis in her first big role as Lt. Barbara Duran in Operation Petticoat from 1977 to 1978.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Deirdre Beaubeirdra in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
For the movie, Jamie was grateful that the Daniels allowed her to not "conceal" her real body while playing this wacky IRS inspector. She said, "My instruction to everybody was: I want there to be no concealing of anything. I've been sucking my stomach in since I was 11, when you start being conscious of boys and bodies, and the jeans are super tight. I very specifically decided to relinquish and release every muscle I had that I used to clench to hide the reality. That was my goal. I have never felt more free creatively and physically."
Jamie Lee Curtis in real life:
6. Tallie Medel in her first major role as Frankie in Inside Amy Schumer in 2015:
Tallie Medel as Becky Sregor in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
Tallie Medel in real life:
7. Jenny Slate in her first notable role as Jenny the Page in 7th Floor West on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2009:
Jenny Slate as Debbie the Dog Mom in Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022:
Originally, Jenny's character had a much bigger character arc that was ultimately cut from the final version of the movie. Director Dan Kwan explained, "[Debbie and Evelyn] had this touching moment on the staircase that helps clean up that loop. Instead, we just beat up her dog and she's gone."
Jenny Slate in real life:
8. Harry Shum Jr. in his first big role as Cable in Step Up 2: The Streets in 2008:
Harry Shum Jr. as Chad in Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022:
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Harry expressed his gratitude for being part of the film. "After the screening at SXSW where we spent a good two hours giving speeches to each other expressing our love," Harry wrote. "Wild cheers and appreciation for being a part of this special film — it resulted to our squishy group hug." He also talked about how amazing it was to watch Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis "finally get to show their range."
Harry Shum Jr. in real life:
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