Taking FLIGHT

Following the phenomenon that is Everything Everywhere All At Once, breakout star and first-time Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu has only grown to be more hopeful about telling the stories she wants to tell.

- JANICE SIM

Five years ago, Stephanie Hsu hadn’t considered herself an actor. She hadn’t imagined gussying up for critically relevant award ceremonies or being eternally referred to as an Oscar nominee. Well, present-day on our Zoom call, she sits across a sea of bouquets in her hotel room—freshly delivered since news broke of her Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Joy in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Hsu, fresh-faced in a messy bun, innocently beams: “If you get an Oscar nomination, people like to give you flowers. That’s kind of awesome.”

Masterminded by prodigious duo the Daniels—Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—and carried by an ensemble cast with the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once has risen to catastrophic fame since its release last year. It was simultaneously praised for being a critical piece of work that explored multiverses, existential philosophy and immigrant culture while being rooted in a heart-tugging narrative. While one could wax lyrical about the profound expositions of the A24 film, the breakout star simply describes it as a “scrappy labour of love”. Neither big-budget nor backed up by an outpouring of resources, the mind-bending film was a result of sheer hard work and raw talent from the cast and crew.