Everything Everywhere All At Once is one of the most unique movies that's come out in years. It's hilarious, action-packed, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. It takes a lot of work to achieve such a feat, so let's take a peek behind the scenes to see how they pulled it off.
1.The hot dog hands were real prosthetic gloves, not CGI.
2.Films usually have a fake name while under production to keep the details secret, and the working title for this movie was A Woman Tries to Do Her Taxes.
3.This was Ke Huy Quan's first major role in 20 years.
4."Your clothes never wear as well the next day, your hair never falls in quite the same way," is both a line Alpha Waymond says to Evelyn and a line from the Nine Days song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)."
5.Five people who did not go to school for visual effects did all the CGI for the film in their bedrooms during the pandemic.
Check out some of their tricks in the video below:
7.Speaking of "Turn Down For What," Sunita Mani (one of the main characters in the video) is the woman in the musical playing on Evelyn's television in the laundromat.
8.Co-director Dan Kwan shot some of the city scenes that flash by as Evelyn is pulled through different universes himself, walking around New York with a pocket cam.
9.Director Michele Gondry's blend of surreal special effects and heartfelt storytelling was a big inspiration.
10.International titles for the film include: 瞬息全宇宙 (In an Instant, the Entire Universe) in China, 奇異女俠玩救宇宙 (Weird Woman Warrior Fucks Around and Saves the Universe) in Hong Kong, and 媽的多重宇宙 (So Fucking Many Universes) in Taiwan.
11.In this shot, Ke Huy Quan is in LA, Michelle Yeoh is in Paris, and Jamie Lee Curtis isn't present at all.
12.Many of Deirdre's wardrobe details were chosen by Jamie Lee Curtis herself.
13.Ke's body language coach read the script and told him there were three Waymonds. Regular Waymond (Evelyn's husband) is a squirrel, Alpha Waymond is an eagle, and CEO Waymond (in the kung fu/movie star universe) is a fox.
14.In the kung fu/movie star universe (where Evelyn is basically Michelle Yeoh), they used real red-carpet footage from Yeoh's career. You can even briefly see her in front of a sign for Crazy Rich Asians.
15.To prepare for her dual-performance as both Joy and Jobu Tupaki, Stephanie Hsu drew a map to chart both of their arcs throughout the movie.
16.In the universe where Evelyn and Jobu are rocks, there was originally supposed to be audible dialogue. It was Michelle Yeoh who suggested the scene be totally silent.
17.The pandemic halted shooting with just one day left.
18.The film wrapped way back in March of 2020, and they got two weeks of post-prediction in before everyone had to go remote due to the pandemic.
19.The first cut of the movie was almost three hours.
20.The actors would go to each director for different questions. For example, Daniel Schienert (right in the picture below) used to act, so he's the go-to for many character questions. Dan Kwan (left), on the other hand, is great with physical comedy.
21.Both Daniels (the directors) make appearances in the movie.
22.The security guard and the guy who fights Evelyn alongside him (better known as the two dudes with butt plugs) are Brian and Andy Le, brothers who run the MartialClub YouTube channel.
23.The rainy alleyway where Evelyn and Waymond talk in the movie star universe was inspired by In the Mood for Love.
24.Awkwafina was originally considered for the role of Joy.
25.The film's inspirations include The Matrix, Kill Bill, It's a Wonderful Life, and Michelle Yeoh's entire filmography.
26.🚨[SPOILER]🚨 — The bagel and the googly eye are exact opposites, with the bagel being black with white in the center, and the googly eye being white with black at its center. Each symbolizes a side of the core conflict in the movie.
Also, the best Joy outfit is the Elvis look with the leashed pig. Prove me wrong in the comments!
