(Cate laughs)
- I don't do theater, I would never do--
- Really? - Oh no, I have stage fright,
I would forget my name. - [Cate] Really? - Lose my sense of where I am, oh yeah. It's so funny. - But you have such a
profound sense of audience, you can tell you have an amazing rapport with the camera.
- It's a lot of fear. If I have to go on stage just to do a presentation
or something like that, I can't sleep until the
presentation is over. - But that's worse, theater's not like that.
- Oh it's horrible. - Theater's like an extended sleepover with a bunch of friends. - No no no no no no no no.
- But giving a speech as yourself, (Michelle
laughs) that is terrifying. - No no no no, just being
on stage and looking out at the sea of faces (upbeat
music) is terrifying. - Hello Michelle Yeoh. (Michelle laughs) - Hello Cate Blanchett. - I'm really nervous. (Michelle laughs) I'd be much happier if it was just us without 100 of our friends talking.
- You are nervous? - Yeah I'm--
- I've been having nightmares for since I knew that I
was doing this with you. - I know, well I mean we met, I think we met in was it in Hong Kong?
- Telluride. - No no I think we met in,
you probably don't remember, maybe you were drunk. - I think I was.
- But I think. - Most likely. (Michelle laughs) - But you were in Hong Kong and I felt you before I
saw you, that it wasn't. - Oh wow oh. - Not in an inappropriate
way (Michelle laughs) but there's something about your presence. - Oh my good--
- Which is and you've just worked with one of the
best humans in the world, Jamie Lee Curtis. You have this similar
thing (Michelle sighs) where you just have this aura. And I turned around and
there was Michelle Yeoh. So I was quite--
- I can't believe you're saying that.
- Yeah I don't know I was quite overwhelmed.
- Oh my god. I mean I have loved you
from your first film and followed you all the way
across in awe with deep respect and okay envy. (Michelle and Cate laugh) - Envy's a good motivator. I think--
- Yes it is because you know--
- Can be a good motivator. - It's true, I aspire to
have a career like yours. - Oh no no no. - Oh yes yes yes.
- But no but you have just done something which seems to be like a synthesis of everything that you've done over the years. Which of course is--
- Yeah I know what you mean. - Which is one of the
greatest movies of all time. - "Everything Everywhere "All at Once".
- "Everything Everywhere "All at Once". (Michelle mumbling) (man grunts) - I feel like I've been in rehearsal for the last 40 years for this role. (Michelle laughs) - Yeah I know 'cause
if you look right back to "Yes, Madam!" And then all
of the stuff that you've done which has been through
so many different means. It all seems to come
together in that movie and it's just so inventive and moving. Did it feel like you were bringing to bear like decades worth of
work onto that experience? - It started with these two crazy guys, that they had the courage, the audacity, to say "you know we love
movies and we want to do this." And they said "let's do this "and throw everything that we wanted to do "but was not allowed to do." And they initially wrote it
for a man, yeah it was written. And I think it's the norm because it would be easier to finance. - [Cate] Right. - Right it would be easier to understand that a guy would multi verse and jump and all those kinda things. - I don't know, I think women-- - No no I think woman.
- We understand the multi verse.
- That's why-- - We live in the multi verse. - Yes. But then they came back and
they realized it didn't work. And so they changed into a mother role, which actually suits
the Daniel so much more because they are surrounded
by very strong smart women. And the two of them are kinda dopey, (Cate laughs) adorable, and but you know--
- In a genius kinda way.
- In a genius kinda way. So I must say, when I received the script it was a little overwhelming, 'cause I've been in the
business for a while now. And the opportunities get a little narrower
and narrower with time, you know because you're
getting past your prime time. I just turned 60 this year, so the box sort of gets bigger and you're getting put into that. And its been a while since I
was offered like the lead role. I have amazing supporting roles and things like in "Crazy Rich
Asians" in "Shang-Chi". - And also you know made some of the most memorable
scenes in cinema, sometimes with no words at all. - I think that's really important right? I mean it's like your
performance in "Tár", it's like the energy,
so dynamic and so real that you feel that it has to
come from all the way inside. It's not a word just that says "I'm angry" it's like (Michelle
grunts) I can feel this and it's coming from here. And that's what you do
in all your performances. You're like a comedian that
goes from this to that, you know you're an elf,
and then you're a queen, and then you're this. And with this performance it's like it takes your breath away. (soft orchestral music) - Please, please, please, you must watch. - For me what is very bold, 'cause Tár, she's not the most
perfect likable character. And sometimes I think when
you don't have the confidence as an actor you stay
away from those roles, because it's hard to, because it brings up a lot of questions. Why would you try and
portray someone like that? Does it have redemption? Are you trying to, do you judge her, or say well what if you
were in her footsteps, would that happen to you, that the sense of power or
that gets into your head? So it's very interesting the way Todd has approached the subject
matter because he wrote it. At first I thought it was
based on a real character. - But it's funny you say
that Evelyn in Everywhere. - Everything All at Once. - Everything all (Michelle
laughs) once it's everything, that that was originally
written for a man. Because when Todd was thinking about it Tár was originally a male role.
- For a man. - And in a way 'cause the film is like
a meditation on power. You would've had a much less
nuanced examination of that if you'd had a--
- I think. - 'Cause we understand what the corruption of male power looks like.
- Right. We see it too often right?
- But we don't, we need to unpick what power is it itself.
- Right. 'Cause it's not gender biased, that sense of power is you know? - Well it's a force isn't it? - Yeah it's a position of--
- I mean you understand power. I mean you have it from your little toe all the way (Michelle laughs) up to the little hair in your head. But that's what I mean about you when from the moment I
first met you socially you could feel that power. And I don't know whether it's
from years and years and years of doing the most incredible iconic stunts that I have ever seen anyone of any--
- Crazy enough to do and. (Michelle laughs) - I know but insane. It's sort of gob smacking
what you've done physically, but then you're able to
distill that volcanic energy into a closeup which happens close up after close up after close up in your film.
- Oh wow. - That you still vibrate somehow
with all of that physical, you sort of make the psychological turmoil so visceral.
- Tangible. - And tangible. - Actually what you're saying is very, I learned from when I was
doing "Memoirs of a Geisha", I think that was the time. - Beautiful.
- 'Cause that character was very still. But it's like you have to figure a way, how do you make her be felt even though she doesn't say
anything and she's there? But I understand what
you're trying to say, because I have try. And I think it's the years of
training as a martial artist. And what we talk about chi is that inner.
- Yes yeah the yeah. - Energy that is there and you
have to emanate it somehow. But you my god, just looking at you, you're like luminous, it's
like there's such a glow. Like someone follows
you behind with a light. (Cate and Michelle laugh) - No I've just stayed out of the sun. In Australia you stay out of
the sun on my own bounce board. When you read the Daniel's script. - We call it E-E-A-A-O. - E-E-A-A-O?
- O. - Yeah everything everywhere--
- Oh okay, that's even harder to say. (Michelle laughs) - Okay sorry. - But when you ready it, it's one of the most out of the box series of scenarios and relationships, and I mean it's obviously with hands down the best conception of the multi verse. I sort of. - The cheapest probably.
- Yeah yeah I understood the universe and then I didn't. What did you think when
you read the script? How did you start to tackle it? Obviously the knew the movies and so you get it.
- I didn't. - Oh okay right.
- So I took the script. I always want to work
with younger directors. I think you know it's a
great opportunity to discover because they throw challenges at you where you know that doesn't
come your way often. But I think I was very gratified that finally I was getting a script where a very non de script
woman, immigrant woman, her story, and she's been around
us for the longest of time trying to live the American dream and you know survive.
- Often invisibly yeah. - But totally invisible with no voice. And to make such an ordinary
woman be extraordinary it's very fulfilling because
I think that is all of us. There's so many of us out
there who are very quiet and think that they'll
just go along the way and maybe nobody will notice them, and they're not successful enough, and they're not well to do enough. You know all the negative
things about themselves. And it was such a joy to say, no look at what we can
do for her, with her, and give her that loud strong voice? And the core of the stories about family, is about the mother and daughter, is about her and her father, and all the culture of the
Asian's are very patriotic. It's all that the father is the one that dictates what happens. And the first thing is like
the sons are important. The daughters don't carry the family name, so in their minds they're like you know they'll be given away, they'll be taken away by somebody else and then they'll work
for them, that family. So in that sense they are
not really well embraced in certain ways. But what happens when I saw the Daniel's it's like I have to meet these guys but I have to know how they, because the story was so bizarre. And I must say--
- And did everything, I mean was it a series of I mean was the structure of the movie that we see the way it was on the page? - Yes. - Literally as--
- Yes. - The butt plug goes in? - Yes. And literally--
- 'Cause Jamie Lee just told me she didn't even know it was a butt plug.
- You know how every time they change, they re write, there's different colored
pages that come to you right? - Yes. - From beginning until the
end it was always white. - Right.
- We never changed anything. Stuff was edited, a couple of
the universes were taken out, but they were not major ones. You know it was just like it one or two frames--
- But you know that amazing sequence, and
that is when you just think, no one could've played the role but you. There's a series of close inter cuts where you go through all the. (Michelle shouting) Yes, and it's incredible,
was it written like? - Yes yes.
- It's like cut cut cut cut.
- Yes, it was-- - And you knew that that was gonna happen.
- Literally it was gonna happen like that. So you there in a way
there was no surprise that it was-- - Except for the audience. - Yes except for the audience
going like what the hell? 'Cause what we should do always is like this is like
a roller coaster ride, put away your phones,
put on your safety belts, and don't think. Don't you know be an intellect
and go oh I'm guessing she's going there, and this
is what's gonna happen. The Evelyn Wong, because that's
what she's going through, she's like what the hell? You know you're you know her husband. So with the Daniel's is
like they were out to, that's very them. When I first met them I had to see if they were certifiably insane. (Cate laughs) - Which they are. - Which they are to--
- In the best possible way.
- In the best possible way. But when they spoke of this story, 'cause you know I think
it's very important 'cause I feel the
director is the visionary and I'm one of their tools. Right and they need to
direct me and tell me what is their vision, what. And the only thing I said to them was the character cannot
be called Michelle Wong. And they're like, "but but why? "You know it's so you." I'm like no I'm not an
Asian immigrant mother who's running a laundromat. She needs her own voice. And that was the only thing, I'm like if you don't change
the name I'm not coming in so. - Wow okay. - But the rest of it was easy. - When I first started acting that was one of the most
complicated thing for me is that I was used to you
know the theater process of it's even if the play is not linear you perform in a linear way. - Right. - Either you had to break things
up into tiny little units. And I can't even imagine how you held all of that in your head given that you're time
traveling, character traveling. I mean you played so many
different personas and scenarios. And then and yet, I mean
so did you shoot it, did they try to shoot in sequence from what you're just saying, like you just have to
enter her experience and? - Like movies you can't
really shoot it in sequence. We shot the end shot on
the first day of work. - Okay. - So it was like, that's
what the Daniel's do. They try and get you--
- Right. - All messed up in your head, and that's exactly the look we want. - Right. - Right. - The reality is that right
from the very beginning I know precisely what time it is. - Really? - And the exact moment that you and I will arrive at our destination together. - Todd Field who directed
and wrote the film, he didn't want an audience to
have too much access to her. And what was my friend, was
that as conductors, as maestros, your persona often
cements your reputation. So if you're a glass of water people have nothing to talk about. The kind of the--
- So you have to create it. - Well you think about
the great conductors and their personality
is always talked about, their style is always
talked about so their-- - Did you choreograph that style? - Yeah I thought about it, I watched a piece of dance by this extraordinary choreographer-- - 'Cause it looked more like dance than the--
- 'Cause I understand dance. - For us.
- It's a bit like this which I can't even do. But I called Xavier Leroy and he had watched Simon Rattle, the great conductor Simon Rattle conduct "The Rite of Spring",
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring which is one of the most
electric dynamic pieces of classical music you'll ever hear. And he turned it into a dance piece. All of his facial postures and. - Oh wow. - And every gesture. And he lept when--
- When he did-- - Simon's not a dancer. And I found that very liberating.
- Oh wow. - And I've obviously watched everyone from Nathalie Stutzmann to Gear Gerfun and Hiding.
- Oh my god. Everyone conduct, and you
realized you had to find. - Your own.
- Your own way. - But I realized that
the character of Lydia, even though there's a
very clear understanding in the community in which she
moves in the world at large of who she is and how she
thinks, and what she's achieved, she's someone who has become
estranged from herself. That being at the head
of a major institution. And therefore you know being in a position of being able to and expected to wield a certain level of authority. That that has separated herself from not only her craft
and her creative instinct but also from who she is. And she's about to turn 50. And all of, I mean there used to be a huge birthday party sequence, and there was a, I'm sort of allowed to
talk about it really, but there was a sequence where her mother came to a book launch and you realized that her mother was. - They didn't have a good
relationship did they? - Well no she well I think they did have quite a moving relationship though, it's a lot of guilt there
because her mother was deaf. And so here she is she has a misophonia, so she's got acute sensitivity to sound. Her hearing is so excellent that it's almost an impediment to her being socially functional.
- Oh right right. - And yet her parents are deaf. And so I thought, wow what was her school time like?
- Wow. - What was she running from? And of course that scene
didn't make the movie. - I was going like--
- Todd. - I don't remember that scene.
- No no no, but that (Michelle laughs)
he's absolutely right. At the time it came in, you couldn't tell that part of the story, it wasn't an eight part television series, it was--
- Right. - It was a movie that was
about something deeper than any of the characters I think. And but yet I knew it. - Ah okay. - And so I think in
terms of what drove her, I think she's running from a lot of stuff and some music.
- It looks like she was constantly running. - [Cate] Yeah. - Even from herself right?
- Yeah and then she physically runs as well. But so for me it gave an access to her complex humanity and her fragility. And you know I find it so
interesting to play characters, and I suppose Evelyn's a little bit like this in ways.
- Yes. - Kind of hidden from themselves. That the audience is invited into--
- That's very interesting. - The dilemma or the impediment or the level of self
destruction that a character, but the character doesn't know it. It's almost though the audience is saying "there's someone
behind the curtains!" (Michelle laughs) Do you know what I mean? And that's I think
that's where the audience is allowed to lean in. - Right you're right.
- You know? - She's, Lydia is a self
destructive is a very good word. - But don't you think that
creative, this is where I find, is that everyone talks about
giving birth to something and--
- Oh the creative process is very--
- It's so brutal. - Oh it is.
- But it's also really destructive.
- Yes I agree.
- I mean you know that old cliche about
killing your darlings. You do have to, when you create something. - You have to.
- You also have to risk destroying it. You know and I think that Lydia for me is an embodiment of that
urge that we all have. You don't have to be
an actor or a painter. - Right.
- Or a musician to understand it. - I think that's the urge that
we deny it the whole time, it's like self denial is the
area is not really happening to me will never happen to me. Why would it right? I'm successful, I'm this, I'm that. But in many ways we are very vulnerable to those kind of urges and. - Yeah that we label as negative. - Right. - Like people talk about you
know I think we're in a moment, and it's interesting 'cause I see it in a lot of really coming alive in a lot of female performances,
is a sense of rage. And we talk about rage
particularly in women and particularly in female
characters on screen as being negative. - Right. But rage is not.
- But I think, it's really, if you sit in it.
- If you know how to. Right.
- Yeah you gotta harness it. - Right.
- I mean 'cause that's what I mean about you being volcanic. - Right. - Is that you can sit there and you know that there is something, it takes an incredible skill. - [Michelle] To. - Only you do it. It's you sit on it, you compress it.
- Right. - And you know that's what I mean.
- But I think we do that. Right I think it's something
that it's necessary, I think for especially in "Everything Everywhere All at Once". It's like years of almost living in regret if I had done this, if I had done that. - Yeah but it's when
you were doing the film, and I don't, I'm gonna
sound like a supreme, the supreme narcissist I am. (Michelle laughs) But I
was working with Jamie Lee on a film that hasn't--
- I love this woman. - I know, she's incredible.
- Oh my god. - But on a film that's yet to be released. And she was showing me
the strangest pictures I have ever seen in my life of her in this bizarre gray wig and you in the little black bob. And you had frankfurter fingers. You were standing behind
her caressing her lovingly in these pictures. And I thought that really looks
like a scene from "Carol". (Michelle laughs) And I said are you?
(Michelle mumbles) I said the Daniel's trying to say that Carol had sausage fingers? (Michelle laughs) I mean
did you talk about it? Or is that just me reading everything--
- No I don't think it's you.
- That I do into everything you do. - The Daniel's have this way of paying homage to people they love, films that they really has touched them and reached out to them. If across our movies from Hong Kong, the (Michelle mumbles) you
know the in the mood for love kind of atmospheric, and
then the martial arts. And then it's like the
pulp fiction kind of energy and the Stephen Chao kind of
you know over the top comedy. But then you're right. 'Cause I saw a photo of
that and I was like wow, except for the hot dog fingers and Jamie playing the piano with her feet, I think it was what we were
trying to say in that scene was these two people love each other. And I'm not surprised if they took you know inspiration from
"Carol", it would not surprise me. - But even the tones that it was-- - Yes yes that kind of like beige--
- That it was shot in. I did laugh.
- Very comforting. And me standing at the back while Jamie was playing with
the toes. (Michelle laughs) - But it was, this is
the power of the film. And the power I mean,
for me you and Jamie, I mean I love the film and
I think they're kind of, their strange world view is
it's just so utterly unique. But you both bring as
performers you and Jamie, you bring this incredible
intensity and truth, but yet it is always so playful. (Michelle laughs) And
so only the two of you could have made an audience
laugh and cry in that scene. 'Cause obviously you felt the love, you totally believed the deep love that these two people had for one another, but you're playing the
piano with your toes with frankfurt fingers it's just--
- But you know Jamie. You know her she throws herself. She's the most genuine actor, person, human being that I know.
- Apart from you of course. - But you know when you are,
I'm sure you understand this, when you are with someone,
you're doing your role, if you're collaborating the
person that your working with is not fully committed to it. I mean can you imagine, we
have hot dogs for fingers, then we have to do this
ritualistic mating dance right? (Cate laughs) I mean when you read it you go like seriously guys?
- It's one of the great scenes of all time, another one.
- When you-- - Another one that you've done. - When you read it I tell you it's not, you're like that is no way. But Jamie and I connected
on the first moment, we it was love at first sight. We just looked at each
other and went yee haw! (Cate and Michelle laugh) - Yeah, but that energy happens, and it's really I've
always found it interesting when journalists, it's
usually journalists, who ask actors you know if they've lent into their performance about the way they prepared or whatever. And you think, well you can do
all the homework in the world but you don't get a great
performance I don't think unless you have a great scene partner. Because it has to, I understand that in the theater. - But but but but but but. - But it's the same. - You do a lot of homework. And homework I feel is so important, because when you, yes,
the audience will be like you're supposed to do your homework 'cause that's your job. But if when you do a role like "Tár", how can you not do homework? How can you do all of that?
- But only you do, you do it, in the way
that you must physically over the years have trained
and brutalized your body to achieve what you've achieved doing so many of your own stunts. But and your stunts are so extraordinary because they have an
intense psychology to them. That's the thing is a lot of stunts and people have tried to replicate many, your work is so iconic. It has been referenced
by so many directors, and so many people have
tried to replicate it. But what I think they
find hard to replicate, which only you do, is you learn more about the
character through every gesture. So whether it's never
just a fight sequence, it's you know and it's always
done with such playful wit. But you know what, even if you're number
one on the call sheet, I think it's the Hamlet principle for me. It's that you see many many
great actors play "Hamlet" but if you haven't got an extraordinary Gertrude and Ophelia--
- You don't have. - A wonderful Claudius,
you don't receive the play. And so--
- True. - You know I got to work
with Nina Hoss, and Nuemi, and this wonderful young
cellist Sophie Krauer who had never acted before. - That is her first? - Yeah and everyone lent into it. So it becomes an ensemble. And so--
- It has to. - And all of the homework
gets thrown away. - Right.
- And all you're doing is responding to these, you know these really often
left of field suggestions that other actors make that
tip everything off its axis. And then hopefully the camera captures that surprise.
- Yes oh god. 'Cause you had really really long take. - Well the film begins, "Tár" begins with a really long. - Interview.
- Interview. - [Michelle] Right. - And when I first read it I
thought I do not understand three-quarters of the reference points. I realize that I had a lot to. - Right. - I was a steep learning curve for me.
- It was like a Master Class in music as well.
- Yeah but I don't think, it's not a film about. - Music.
- Music, even though it's not a film about conducting. But I realized I needed
to know that stuff. But anyway it was quite
still and long and wordy. And then there was a scene very quickly where she's giving a Master Class at Juilliard.
- Right. - Which is also very long. - That was long. - And Todd said a week
before shooting he said "I think we need to do it in
one (Michelle gasps) shot". Which of course I--
- Did you? - Yes it had exactly that reaction. But then it's thrilling, because then you're really
dancing with the crew. - Right right.
- And you're really dancing with the other actors. And you're on that tight rope. Which I guess must be similar to doing a stunt?
- Is it like theater then? - Yeah it was. - 'Cause I have stage fright.
- Except you normally have six weeks. - I don't do theater, I would never do--
- Really? - Oh no I have stage fright,
I would forget my name. - Really? - Lose my sense of where I
am, oh yeah, it's so funny. - But you have such a
profound sense of audience. You can tell you have an amazing rapport with the camera.
- It's a lot of fear. If I have to go on stage
just to do a presentation or something like that, I can't sleep until the
presentation is over. - Oh but that's worse. Theater's not like that.
- Oh it's horrible. - Theater's like an extended sleepover with a bunch of friends. - No no no no no no no no.
- But giving a speech as yourself (Michelle laughs)
that is terrifying yeah. - No no no no just being on stage and looking out at the sea
of faces is terrifying. - So how do you feel when
you walk on set then? Do you feel it's always the first day of school?
- It's not so bad because I feel like if I
fumble or make a fool of myself I can do it again. - Right. - There is the fear of doing it and go like oh there's a whole audience sitting out there.
- And I have to keep going. - And you're going oh no and suddenly you blank out or something
like that you know. Oh that terrifies the heck out of me. - Except you have the
Jamie Lee's of this world to--
- No no no it's not gonna happen.
- You know you're throwing. - No no no no no no no, it
wouldn't, no no no no no no. Even just the--
- We're gonna work on this. (Michelle laughs) We're
gonna work on this. - I know you're amaz. Oh you know one thing I
really really want to know is how do you juggle your life? - I don't.
- You are a mother of four. That's amazing. And you adopted--
- Yes, yeah we have three very biological kids.
- That is very-- - And it's it just happened.
- It's amazing. - I mean it just happened. It's sort of like it's you know life's not a linear thing is it? And I didn't come out of the womb saying "I must procreate!"
- I'm gonna. - (Michelle laughs) I must get married, I must be an actress. - Right. - [Cate] I had no plan whatsoever. - It just happened. - Yeah I think when I was at university I said I wanted to travel with my work, that was my ambition. So I've kind of achieved.
- And yes you've achieved that yeah. - That yeah. - Yeah we do travel to amazing places. (dramatic music) (person grunting) - The visuals in "Everything
Everywhere All at Once" is are so extraordinary. But it's and this is what I love about Todd
field script as well, is that the ideas are big. When you see them on the big screen. - You feel. (Michelle sighs) - Yeah you do you have to lean into it. I always think about the
theater going audience that they're implicated. So if a night is awful they never gonna wanna go
back to the theater again, but if it's wonderful they feel so alive. But I think a film going audience, it's not a passive experience, it's to sit back relax.
- No it's like. - It's lean forward and engage. - How do we engage, and
how do we get transported into another world? Or you know discover
something about yourself? Or you know be bale to have communication? I think what is great about our films is that people talk about it, people want to have a conversation. Some conversations are not
easy, but it's necessary. And it's so important that
we stop being so judgy. You know everything is like really? You know it's like why can't
we just have a conversation? We can agree to disagree, but it's most important
to have an exchange. And I think that's what
we as human beings need. - So I mean Evelyn presents herself in so many different ways. - Looks.
- And you've got so many kind of silhouettes
and images (Michelle laughs) and personas to inhabit. And so how did you develop
those different looks? Were they prescribed in the script, or what did you work?
- You know she the script very basically aging
Chinese aging woman right, non descriptive, so surely--
- Oh call Michelle Yeoh, non descriptive Asian woman. (Cate and Michelle laugh) - That's right.
(Cate mumbles) - Should've said. - Michelle Yeoh, perfect fit for that. But Shirley, our costume
designer, she is so imaginative. And it's you've been queen Elizabeth, and then you know you're an
elf, and then you're this. But the costumes is an
extension of your character, and it helps me when I
step into my costumes, my whole mindset change. You know the wig, the aging of the face. - And did that help you
flipping between times? - Yes yes. It does it helped because I create this, 'cause I have to say "this
is not Michelle Yeoh, "this is Evelyn Wong. "Who is Evelyn Wong?" Right and my that was my homework like is she is this woman who goes to the market all the time, she runs a laundromat, so her whole body posture
would be a little bent over because she's carrying and
lugging heavy things all around. I wore some body padding
so that I would be, you know she doesn't go to the gym, she you know, and she doesn't have facial. So all these things I
think it's the nuances that makes the character. - Complete yeah absolutely.
- It's like Jamie! You know she was the one who says "I want to wear
that yellow outfit." And she has this amazing way of like bloop and her stomach
just falls out. (Cate laughs) And everybody's going, "is
she wearing a body suit?" We're like no that's the amazing thing. I have I'll show you--
- I know, one of the sexiest women alive.
- A photo where it's her in the daytime when we're working and her going to an event at night. Oh my god it's amazing. So for me like when I am the opera singer, the blind opera singer,
once you are there, 'cause I don't have a
voice but I had to sing out in front of an audience. - See you've done it, you've done it already.
- It was on stage. It was terrifying.
- You've taken the first step. - So but once you're in that costume it's like your mask is on, your armor, your shield is on. And so you are prepared
to go into that role. Verse jumping gave me the opportunity to it's what it's like for Evelyn, having a look at every
decision that you made in life. If I had done that this is would have been
the great life I'm having. And I think it was very sad for when she came back
to the real universe to turn around to the husband and say, "I could have been this
if I didn't go with you." And that's heartbreaking. - It is heartbreaking, there are so many moments of heartbreak. - Yeah. - So many moments of heartbreak. - But then there's so many
moments of realization as well, to go yes. And you know when you communicate, especially with the husband
at the end of the day, so it's like it doesn't matter. Because in whatever universe I would prefer to be doing the laundromat, and doing the taxes with you, because at the end of
the day it is about love, it is about our superpower kindness. - Yeah it's funny 'cause
it's I thought a lot, even though you know the "Tár" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once", are such different films. - So diff--
- They do deal with mortality in a very very
different but very deep way. I mean when you only have one life and how do you when you're in a groove, how do you change that? You know it's really--
- How do you sustain and appreciate that? That is hard. Because when you look at Lydia,
she's so well constructed, it's almost like her orchestra. When she wears the suit with the shirt. I love the way you do that and it's like how little gesture
of my confidence is here, I am ready.
- But it's also, it's funny you're talking
about clothes because and suits 'cause I think ti's not just, and working with Bina Daigeler who I've worked with many
times, amazing costume designer, is it's the way the
character wears the clothes. So we've got a wardrobe together, and then obviously you
wanna you need to work very closely with the production designer to say "do you want the
character to blend in, or do you "want them to stand out?"
- Or to stand out. - And also she's just come, you've gotta be very aware of where the characters come from, where they're going too.
- Going. - And I had very long days, the character had very long days. Like the actual story takes place. Unlike yours which moves through-- - Was like--
- Millions of years. (Michelle laughs) It kind of really within
a matter of week or two they were rehearsing. And so it would be like okay
I'm gonna wear this costume so I can break it down and deconstruct it and put it back together again. So it was it you can reveal so much about a characters state of being that they're not even aware of by the way they wear the clothes. And I find that fascinating. You know I find that amazing when you go into a work
place, any work place, and you can tell someone's mood or what they're trying to. - Express right?
- Yeah get away from by what they've decided to wear that day.
- Right. - Or the non decision that
they've made that day. - I think it's very important, you know especially with the creators, that what I don't like
is like when you walk on or you look at something and go like, uh they just bought the suit yesterday. - You know what really annoys me? Is when someone puts their feet up. - Oh no and it's like never been worn.
- And you realize that they've been trudging
through the desert across gravel and they've basically got the sticker for on the bottom of the shoes. Dude didn't you? You know. - Right.
- I'm always looking at the bottom of my shoes just in case. Just in case.
- No no no when we, Shirley was great. I mean we did her shopping
for Evelyn Wong in Chinatown. We're like yes. I wore all the colors
that I would never wear. (Michelle laughs) - I know 'cause you're so elegant, it was such a transformation. - But it's so good to
have that transformation because you are someone else right? 'Cause you're not playing Cate. - Thank god.
- You are. (Michelle laughs) - Two people, to my mother
would go and see that movie. - Oh god you should've heard my mothers comment.
- My sons wouldn't. - When she saw the movie she's like "why do you look so old? "Why can't you be like you know "when you're in that ball
gown the whole time?" (Michelle laughs) do more "Crazy Rich Asians" would you? - Oh she loved "Crazy Rich Asians", but she loved it for the look. - Yeah but I mean you
have had some incredible, incredible looks, like amazing looks. Did you start off dancing
or and then did you, or did you always have
the urge to perform? - Oh perform on stage, only dancing. - Right. - Loved that. I really, that's why I never
thought I had stage fright. - [Cate] Right. - Until when I went to England I thought I went to a ballet school, I enrolled because I wanted to do ballet. But you know at that time there was no way I could ever been a
professional ballerina. I mean they will say, physique, look wise, you will never blend in
to the corps de ballet, it's how it is. So at that time I went to England, I love dance, so it was great. No more schooling you know
just do my A's and all levels. And but I would dance from nine til five. I was living the dream. Then I had a back injury
which then caused that dream to fold up. But you know I was very fortunate, the principle of the
school misses Hammond, she turned around and say "but there are so many options in dance, "you don't have to be a ballerina. "You can be a choreographer,
you can be this." And I wanted to be a
ballet teacher really. So I went to do a degree in dance. And I thought well since
I'm here I could do drama. (Michelle laughs) What a mistake that was. - Oh no, thank god. - Oh my god. I swear if the professors at that time, if someone said to them, "one day Michelle is going to be an actor" they'd be like I bet my last
pound it will never happen. - Why? - Because I was so bad at it. I realized that when I had
to go up on stage to speak, I had my knees start trembling, I start literally I swear sweating, my arm like really. - Did you--
- I would. - It's strange 'cause
it's maybe that's why when you dispense with
words you say so much. Do you know what I mean? Like it's so where everything you say, when I always feel when
I watch you on screen that the words you say are so essential. - Yes, I love that.
- You know there's never any filler.
- No. No frills. And I think it's worked. When we have silence it's more powerful. It's like you know when Lydia
when she walks in the room, when she does things,
it's just with a look. And that already conveys so many emotions and words. And for me it's not
about the number of words that you vocalize. I mean in "Everything
Everywhere All at Once" I was just screaming the whole time like. (Michelle screams)
(Michelle and Cate laugh) Just getting it out, I'm going crazy. No but no so I'm grateful, I
mean I really am so grateful that this movie came my way
and gave me the opportunity to finally say I can actually do comedy and I can actually do physical comedy and I can do drama and I
can do so many of the things that I have been taught
that I've been educated over the years so. - But your work is always playful. You know when you think
about "Yes, Madam!" And you think about "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Crouching Tiger" I mean one of the most
powerful films of all time. There's such an intensity to what you do but it's always so playful. And so it just felt like
in the Daniel's movie that all of that just got was just--
- Magnified. (Michelle laughs) - Magnified times a thousand. - Oh thank you.
- It was such a joy to watch. - That's amazing--
- It was really, I found it so inspiring.
- Coming from you. - Really inspiring.
- Thank you. - Now it's been so nice talking to you.
- Oh my gosh. - And I hope we'll work together. - Oh no no no we will work together. - In sort of a. - We have to.
- Yeah actually yeah not talk about ourselves but actually talk about
our thing, make a thing. (upbeat music)
(Michelle laughs)
