Among 2022’s movie releases, The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All At Once remains among this year’s most memorable offerings – could it even be among the next Best Picture nominees? Unlike many contenders for the best of 2022 that are just being introduced to audiences, the trippy multiverse movie has been on our lips throughout most of the year, starting with its rousing premiere at SXSW back in March. And as The Daniels recently reflected about its first audiences, they were reminded of a great reaction from Jamie Lee Curtis.
When the Everything Everywhere All At Once filmmakers spoke to CinemaBlend’s podcast, ReelBlend, on its latest episode, they recalled their memories at the Austin, Texas premiere. Daniel Kwan had this to say:
The moment the film finished and we were walking backstage, I felt something I’d never felt before, which was this deep contentment, this deep fulfillment. Because we were backstage, and Jamie Lee Curtis had never seen the movie before, and she looked at me, and she was bawling – there were just tears on her face – and she said, ‘OK, I finally understand the movie.’ (laughs) Which was incredible, just to have someone like her be the first person I talk to after this movie – a veteran who has done this so many times, and seen this process so many times – to see her shook was incredible.
Jamie Lee Curtis of course plays the cranky IRS inspector to Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn throughout Everything Everywhere All At Once. And this movie is far from Curtis’ first rodeo. The actress has seen many of her movies from iconic filmmakers like Halloween, True Lies and even Knives Out come together into incredible, acclaimed statuses. And yet, as The Daniels recalled, she was completely affected by the amazing Everything Everywhere All At Once ending like the rest of us, and even cried at the SXSW premiere.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is such truly a unique experience that she couldn’t have fully understood from being on the set of the film. The Daniels were certainly affirmed by the crowd of the premiere, but they were especially grateful that Jamie Lee Curtis had such a raw reaction to seeing it for the first time. You can check out the full ReelBlend interview with The Daniels on YouTube below:
Elsewhere during the interview, Daniel Scheinert shared that he knew going in that the first screening at SXSW that Everything Everywhere All At Once was going to be a “fun” time, just knowing what that particular audience has embraced in the past. Kwan also said that the first question they got after the movie was screened was about intergenerational trauma directed to them, and realized that the heart of the film was what people were connecting with even more than the action and comedy.
The Daniels spoke to ReelBlend right after their impressive night at the Gotham Awards, where the movie won Best Feature alongside Ke Huy Quan winning Best Supporting Performance for playing Waymond Wang. After you watch the exclusive interview, take a look at our behind-the-scenes facts about the making of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
