Jamie Lee Curtis requested that nothing be concealed for her transformative role in the new multi-genre film, Everything Everywhere All At Once. The upcoming movie is written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who made their feature film debut with the 2016 surreal dramedy Swiss Army Man, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano. Their newest cinematic venture is a sci-fi meets action/adventure/comedy film, which centers around Evelyn Wang, a Los Angeles laundromat manager turned Earth’s only savior, played by Michelle Yeoh.
Along with Curtis and Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once’s interdimensional story also stars Ke Huy Quan (Finding ‘OHana) and Stephanie Hsu (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). The former plays Waymon Wang, Evelyn’s husband, and Hsu is Evelyn’s daughter, Joy Wang. Kwan and Scheinert are known for their unique and bizarre form of comedy, and this seems to be in full force in first looks at Curtis’ character, as well as her name: Deirdre Beaubeirdra.
According to EW, Curtis was resolute in her desire to look as “real” as possible for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, after signing up to play the IRS inspector. Scheinert explained that Curtis would text him numerous photos of “weird” outfits and haircuts that the actor hoped to take on for the role. Kwan eventually found a picture online of an IRS auditor that became the inspiration for Deidra Beaubeirdra’s unique look. The Golden Globe winner Curtis wanted to take things a step further, however, deciding specifically not to “conceal” any parts of herself, including her “belly.” Read Curtis’ explanation below:
“I wanted to just be truthful to this woman. In the world, there is an industry — a billion-dollar, trillion-dollar industry — about hiding things. Concealers. Body-shapers. Fillers. Procedures. Clothing. Hair accessories. Hair products. Everything to conceal the reality of who we are. And 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.”
Curtis has been a huge advocate for body positivity over the years, taking to Instagram last year to post a natural photo of herself in order to advocate for and inspire self-acceptance. The actress also spoke out about ageism in Hollywood while discussing her recent film Halloween Kills, calling it an “ageist industry” that all too often fails to create roles for older women. Curtis herself has managed to combat such prejudices, however, being one of Hollywood’s most well-known icons. In fact, earlier this year, the actress shared in an interview that, after more than 40 years in the business, she is now busier than ever.
Curtis’ determination to strip down and remain unapologetically authentic in this new role is yet another inspiring move from the actor. What’s more, it is encouraging to to see the directing duo behing Everything Everywhere All At Once supporting the actor’s creative choices. By its very nature, Curtis and Yeoh’s new action film looks to be an age-defying story, and will hopefully continue to promote quality roles for all actors, no matter their age. Everything Everywhere All At Once will get its limited theatrical debut on March 25 and release worldwide on April 8.
