Absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All At Once has real-life implications for Asian actors.
Everything Everywhere All at Once generated a lot of buzz for its unique plot, absurd themes, and the ability to capture the existential feeling of being a tiny cog in a universe with infinite possibilities. All while making you laugh, (maybe) cry, and appreciate your loved ones a bit more. Outside the realms of its story, the film is also hitting the headlines for its platforming of Asian talent, and unprecedented award wins.
Yesterday, the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards marked the first time a single film won four awards in one night in the award show’s history. Everything Everywhere All at Once picked up trophies for best ensemble in a motion picture, best-leading film actress for Michelle Yeoh, and best-supporting actor awards for Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan.
Yeoh’s portrayal of laundromat owner and overworked mother Evelyn, bored with her mundane life until she’s tasked with saving the universe, made her the first Asian actress to win the category. It holds significance not only as a personal milestone but as an inspiration for other Asian actresses; she said while accepting the award: “This is not just for me. This is for every little girl who looks like me.” In the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, which will be televised on March 12th, Yeoh’s nomination for best actress makes her the first Southeast Asian woman to be considered for the category.
Quan, who played Evelyn’s loving husband Waymond, became the first Asian man to win an individual award in any film category at the SAG awards. (The first Asian man to win any individual award at the SAGs came from TV the year before— Lee Jung-jae for Squid Game.) A former child actor who appeared in Indiana Jones and The Goonies in the ‘80s, Quan took a break from acting in part due to the lack of Asian representation. “When I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities, and now tonight, here we are celebrating. The landscape looks so different now than before,” he gushed as he accepted his award.
Stephanie Hsu, who plays Evelyn and Waymond’s daughter in the film, was nominated for a SAG Award for supporting actress. Meanwhile, actress Hong Chau was nominated for the same category for her role in The Whale—another first for the SAGs: two Asian professionals being nominated in the same category.
Hopefully one day there will be no more “firsts” of this kind to celebrate, and fair representation will become an industry norm rather than a headline, but until then, milestones like this are worth noting for their effect, not only on the industry landscape but for youth watching at home.
Images courtesy of A24
