Michelle Yeoh revels in playing lead in 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

Michelle Yeoh has been a familiar face to international audiences since she first rose to fame in the '90s in Asian action films.

She has since starred in memorable supporting roles in Hollywood projects like 'Tomorrow Never Dies,' 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' 'Crazy Rich Asians,' and 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.'

But in playing the multiverse-hopping immigrant american Evelyn Wong in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' the Malaysian actress takes on a central role that also has a hugely significant personal meaning to her. This is her first leading role in an American film.

"I can't think of more Asian actresses who got this kind of privilege. I hope things will change very, very dramatically, and very quickly and give us more opportunities to be the lead. It was the first time in a very, very long time where the role literally was written for, without aging, Asian immigrant woman, very ordinary woman that nobody has wanted to tell the story about. It's a woman that we know so well. You know, it's the aunties, the mothers, the grandmothers who we walk past going to the supermarket or in the market and never noticed, goes by unnoticed, goes by with no voice almost. Just puts her head down and do what she needs to do for her family," Yeoh said.

Jamie Lee Curtis shared why she immediately said yes to starring in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,'

"Truth be told, my reaction was that Michelle Yeoh was gonna star in the movie and they wanted me to play opposite her in this interesting, strange little part of Deirdre Beaubeirdra, and I simply said, 'Yes.' I may have read the script, I don’t even remember. I totally know who Deidre is. I've known Deirdres. And so I knew I could do that. And I just really wanted to work with Michelle. I obviously admired her for a long time," Curtis said.

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' features an Asian American family at its heart and has characters not usually seen in typical Hollywood offerings, a credit to its writer-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, commonly referred to as the 'Daniels.'

The genre-bending film, which has elements of science fiction, comedy, action, and family drama, has received wide critical acclaim since debuting at the SXSW Film Festival.

Watch more News on iWantTFC