In a stunning revelation, Academy Award-winner Jamie Lee Curtis admits she understood “not one second” of the complex script for Everything Everywhere All at Once, yet her focus on the character’s emotional core unlocked one of the most celebrated performances of the decade.
Even while holding the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Jamie Lee Curtis has admitted a stunning truth about her role in the 2022 phenomenon Everything Everywhere All at Once: she did not understand the plot when she first read the script. In a recent interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, the 67-year-old actress was asked a simple question: did she get the movie’s multiverse storyline?
“Of course not,” Curtis responded with a laugh. “Not one second of it. Did I understand that script? No.” This confession from the actress whose performance was instrumental to the film’s success offers a rare glimpse into the art of acting, suggesting that sometimes, a deep understanding of a character’s humanity can be more powerful than a full grasp of a film’s fantastical plot.
The film, which swept the 95th Academy Awards with seven wins including Best Picture, centers on a Chinese-American laundromat owner, Evelyn Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh. While being audited by the IRS, Evelyn discovers she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to save reality. The narrative is a chaotic, genre-bending exploration of family, regret, and the infinite possibilities of existence.
Yet, for Curtis, the labyrinthine plot was secondary to the person she was playing: IRS auditor Deirdre Beaubeirdre. While the world of the film was incomprehensible, the character’s emotional state was crystal clear.
“We all know Dierdre,” Curtis explained. “She’s a woman who’s not loved. She’s a woman who uses her power in her job to control people because she has no love in her life.” This singular focus on the character’s profound loneliness and desperate need for connection became the anchor for her performance, allowing her to ground the film’s most absurd moments in a relatable, human truth.
This approach to acting stands in stark contrast to the film’s frenetic style. While the Daniels directors built a world of chaotic action and visual gags, Curtis found her stillness within it. Her performance, which also earned her a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, was a masterclass in subtlety, providing the perfect counterbalance to the film’s explosive energy.
The moment she won the Oscar became an iconic piece of awards show history. Curtis could be seen in the audience mouthing the words “shut up” in disbelief. As she recounted to 60 Minutes, the shock was genuine. “Totally, because that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
This victory was particularly meaningful for Curtis, whose parents, the legendary actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, were both nominated for but never won an Academy Award. In her interview, she reflected on her career and her personal journey, stating she has “surpassed” them emotionally, particularly through her sobriety. She also noted the creative freedom she now possesses, a freedom she believes her mother, a star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, was denied.
Jamie Lee Curtis’s candid admission about not understanding the script for Everything Everywhere All at Once is a powerful reminder that great acting is not about intellectualizing a story, but about finding the human heart at its center. By focusing on the universal pain of a character who felt unloved, she delivered a performance that was not only understood but universally celebrated, proving that the most complex ideas can be conveyed through the simplest, most honest emotions.
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