‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’: Michelle Yeoh Wanted the Directors to Cut the ‘Hot Dog Hands’ Universe
Michelle Yeoh travels to plenty of bizarre universes in Everything Everywhere All at Once. While the Ratatouille universe is an absolute highlight, the strangest one may be the universe where everyone has hot dogs for fingers. This universe may have even been too odd for Yeoh as she initially wanted the directors, the Daniels, to cut this part out of the movie.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ is a fascinating trip through the multiverse
Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the best-reviewed movies of the year, and for good reason. It’s a risk-taking, mind-bending, and endlessly creative journey through the multiverse.
Yeoh plays a middle-aged woman who is struggling with her business and with her relationships with her husband (Ke Huy Quan) and daughter (Stephanie Hsu). However, when she is contacted by someone from another universe, she becomes entwined in a mission to save the multiverse.
Her journey takes her to several universes where she encounters different versions of herself. The worlds range from normal ones where she is a martial arts superstar to completely outlandish worlds where everyone is a rock. In each universe, there is something sweet and moving as powerful connections between others can be found anywhere, even in a world where humanity has evolved to have hot dogs for fingers.
Michelle Yeoh wanted the hot dog finger universe to be cut from ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Yeoh has starred in many sci-fi projects including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and is even joining James Cameron’s Avatar sequels. Still, she had never read anything so bizarre as Everything Everywhere All at Once, especially the hot dog universe.
In an interview with Empire, Yeoh explained that she tried to get the Daniels to cut the hot dog hands universe. However, she eventually gave in to it and had to figure out how to make this work.
“We went into the different universes believing: that this is the real universe,” Yeoh said. “We have to live that moment and live how they would – even though, yes, they had weird digits.”
In this hot dog hand world, Yeoh has a romantic relationship with Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis told Empire that she was equally as confused, but it ended up being one of the most “moving” scenes she’s ever filmed as an actor.
“There’s a part of that sequence that was as moving for me as an actor as anything I’ve ever done,” Curtis said. “At the same time, we have hot-dog fingers and I use my feet as my affection tool.”
The strange movie script ended up being a draw for Michelle Yeoh
While most actors would be confused when reading the script for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh shared that she enjoys a challenge. The confusing script was a huge reason for why this movie excited Yeoh.
“I couldn’t even wrap my head around that whole concept,” Yeoh told Empire. “I’m a dinosaur – I don’t really know how to get online and Google things. They had me going, ‘Maybe I don’t really understand, but you know what? They have intrigued me.’ And I love a challenge.”
Curtis shared similar sentiments, but the opportunity to work with Yeoh was also enticing.
“The script was weird,” Curtis said. “But the entire reason that I said yes to this little tiny weird movie was because I was getting to work with Michelle Yeoh. They say, ‘You had me at hello’ – well, they had me at Michelle Yeoh.”
Everything Everywhere All at Once is now in theaters.
