Summer of Stars is a MovieJawn celebration of actors that have shined on the silver screen. Follow along as we count down some of our favorite players from various eras in the magical cosmos of cinema.

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

Tomorrow Never Dies was the first time I saw Michelle Yeoh. I would have been 11 years old at the time, and I was way more into seeing a “James Bond movie” in the theater than any particular aspect about it. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was the first time I really noticed her. It was a landmark for me in a lot of ways, opening up my cinematic world beyond English language films and genres. In the 22 years since Crouching Tiger, it has been fascinating to see Michelle Yeoh jump back and forth between American and Hong Kong movies, a person who can live in multiple worlds at the same time. And so it is no surprise that she can show up in both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, with zero Marvel fanboys spitting venom around how this could happen. She’s just that good. 

But I am here to talk about Everything Everywhere All at Once, which definitely proved that Michelle Yeoh can exist in as many universes as she wants to, as often as she wants to, because it is easily one of the best of the year so far. In it, Yeoh plays Evelyn, a laundromat owner being audited by the IRS, while her relationships with her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu), seem to be on the verge of crumbling before her eyes. In the midst of this, she is contacted by alternate versions of her family members who teach her how to tap into skills Evelyns in other universes know, in order to save the multiverse from the big bad. 

When The Daniels were writing EEAO, they originally conceived it as a vehicle for Jackie Chan before shifting the character to a woman with Yeoh in mind. But even with all of the metafictional shenanigans involved in the plot, Michelle Yeoh’s career is only obliquely touched on, which was the actress’ preference. She told Polygon that, “ I don't like to integrate me, Michelle Yeoh, into the characters that I play, because they all deserve their own journey and their stories to be told." While I enjoy a good meta movie (hello, Ocean’s Twelve), the deep emotional impact EEAO has had on many viewers (including myself) likely stems from the remove from Yeoh herself. It makes Evelyn a full character, a person you can relate to, and as she permeates across the multiverse, she is still easy to trace. 

In the Wong Kar-Wai tinged universe where Evelyn never left for America with Waymond, she instead became a martial arts master, and then parlayed that into becoming a glamorous movie star. While this is arguably the most “successful” version of Evelyn we meet, there’s a melancholy underlying so much of this universe. Evelyn may have reached her “full potential” on her own, but her life is incomplete without love and meaning. This is one of the more subtle ways the film gets at its core theme of how the only way we can truly live our best lives is with love and compassion, but it may be the most cutting. A universe where career success and material comforts are attained contains the version of Evelyn suffering from the most heartbreak. Seeing Michelle Yeoh bring this juxtaposition to life, of a woman who has it all but feels like she has nothing, is stunning. She is able to play the quiet confidence of a literal martial arts master along with the warm effervescence of a movie star and then layer in a longing sadness underneath it. This universe was the first of a few times my heart shattered watching EEAO. 

Of all the places I could be, I just want to be here with you.

There is much more to say about EEAO and Yeoh’s career, but this science fiction-martial arts-existential romp-love story is easy to recommend. Even from my single viewing a few months ago I can still feel the way EEAO, led by Michelle Yeoh’s many-sided performance, reached out to me across space and time with words of comfort and joy. At times it is esoteric and wide-eyed, but the center of this bagel is gooey and warm with love. Plus, Yeoh even convincingly plays a rock! 

More from me on the multiverse aspect of Everything Everywhere All at Once here.