Cate Blanchett & Michelle Yeoh | Actors on Actors 2022 - VoiceTube 動画で英語を学ぶ

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(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)