Michelle Yeoh has revealed that she insisted on one big change to her character in Everything Everywhere All at Once before coming on board for the project – her name.
"The only thing I said to [directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert] was, "The character cannot be called Michelle Wang,'" Yeoh told Cate Blanchett in an interview for Variety's Actors on Actors series. "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.'"
In the movie, the character's name is Evelyn Wang. Evelyn is drawn from her ordinary life as a laundromat owner and mother into an adventure through the multiverse after she discovers that she is the only one who can save every world in existence from an ominous threat.
Evelyn's name wasn't the only thing that changed, either. "They initially wrote it for a man," Yeoh added. "I think it’s the norm, because it would be easier to finance. It would be easier to understand that a guy would multiverse jump. But then they changed it into a mother role, which actually suits the Daniels so much more, because they’re surrounded by very strong, smart women."
Released back in March 2022, Everything Everywhere All at Once became the first movie from entertainment company A24 to make $100 million at the global box office. The ensemble cast also includes Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is streaming now on Prime Video. If you've already seen the movie, fill out your watch list with our guide to the most exciting movie release dates to add to your calendar.
