(dramatic music) - Now you may only see
a pile of receipts,
but I see a story.
(man coughs)
I can see where this story is going,
and it does not look good.
(dramatic music) (woman screaming)
(audio slowing down)
- What's happening?
- It's one of the year's most talked-about movies,
"Everything Everywhere All at Once."
It's about a laundromat owner
who's the only hope to save the multiverse
from an evil force.
And that dazzling super-villain is being played
by none other the Broadway vet Stephanie Hsu.
And that's not Stephanie's only big role
in Hollywood right now.
Paul's here with the story.
- That's right, Tamsen.
Although Stephanie Hsu is having a Hollywood moment
right now, her passion for performing actually started
in the downtown theater scene, which unexpectedly
took her to Broadway and a showy role
on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."
We sat down at the Time Hotel
to talk all about for her wild ride.
So good to see you.
- So good to see you, too.
- You're having a moment.
- I'm having a moment.
- Everything Everywhere All at Once.
You suddenly are everything everywhere, all at once
- All at once today, every day, never again.
- This movie that, that you are
one of the stars of is, is, has blown up.
I know that you know what it's like
to be in a Broadway show. - Yes.
- You know what it's like to be in a hit TV show.
What is this like and how does it compare?
- Well, I think it's really crazy because you know
we've always really loved this film and we, you know,
it is your wildest dream that you make art
and people respond to it.
But I don't think any of us
were prepared for everyone to be like,
"It's the best movie we've ever seen."
So that's been really wild,
and people are not only having their brains blown
but also emotionally really relating to it.
- Yeah. - In some ways it feels
like Be More Chill on crack actually
because when I did Be More Chill, there were a lot
of young people who were also like,
"I feel so seen, I feel so seen, I feel so seen."
And it is awesome. - Right.
- You know, in theater you could be sitting
in the back of a house and someone's face is like this big
and now it's the exact opposite where people sit
with my face for two and a half hours and it's like on IMAX.
- How did you describe it to people all this time?
It must be great to have people actually
get to experience it. - Yeah.
- Versus sort of describing it.
- Totally. I definitely think it's a type
of movie that you want to just know almost nothing about.
- Right. - And just go and feel
and go on the ride.
But I would say that the movie is
a truly never before seen kind of film
about a family who is desperately trying to find one another
through the chaos of life, but also the multiverse.
- You also got to work with Michelle Yeoh,
as your mom, who's an icon.
- A true icon.
- What was that like to actually get on set and
to dig into these very emotional moments with her?
- She is a true legend
and carries that weight with such grace and play.
She is so generous and I can't believe I've been so lucky
that I get to say that we were scene partners, you know,
and we also just had so much fun and I was really scared
that I was going to be too weird for Michelle
because one of my characters is a villain and is, you know
blowing up people's heads into confetti
and swinging things and, you know, dressed as Elvis.
And that was one of the first scenes
that I shot with Michelle, this like very weird scene.
And I had rehearsed it with the Daniels, the directors
and all of a sudden I get to set
and I'm like, oh my gosh, what have we done?
You've turned me into a freak.
And now I'm about to unleash my freak to Michelle.
And so I made them promise me that before we got weird
or like before we released the character, Jobu,
that they would announce to the entire crew like,
"Okay, everybody, Stephanie's gonna get weird now,"
so that she would be prepared and, and warned.
But luckily she's such a goofball too.
I think the coolest thing probably
for my mom is that we, they ask for actual family photos.
And so they're baby photos of me with my mom
but they photoshopped Michelle's face onto my mom's face.
So it's actual baby me
but it's Michelle with my mom's body.
- I think it's the time for you to meet my parents.
- Nope.
- You can't just run, I know where you live.
- No you don't.
- No, I don't.
- We have to talk about Mrs. Maisel.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
I don't wanna just do the nickname.
It's been such a fun journey.
I mean I loved when you first joined the cast
and really shaking up Joel, Joel Maisel.
Really shaking up this past season, wow.
- Yeah.
- And you have another season to go.
- Yes, we are shooting season five right now
but I can't tell you anything.
- Okay, okay. - Because you know,
that show is amazing
and the costumes are amazing, truly spoiled rotten.
Like every single fitting is like, here,
we just built this beautiful period piece to you.
We designed it for you.
It's so fun.
And it feels so special every single time.
And also similarly, like I never thought
that I was going to ever be able to be
in a period piece, period, or on television.
And so to get to do that
as a Chinese woman in the late 1950's, early 1960's,
now that's done so more people can start using that space.
And a younger version of me doesn't ever have to doubt
if that's possible for her because it happened.
And I can't believe that I'm a part of that.
- Having first seen you on Broadway, SpongeBob SquarePants,
Be More Chill, and to see your career.
Do you feel like it's a little more open now
for Broadway actors to get opportunities on camera?
- I think people are making it for sure.
Making the transition, but I think it is hard.
I mean, in so many ways, I feel like I snuck in
through the back door of Broadway.
I got involved with SpongeBob before I even had an agent.
I didn't want an agent.
I was doing experimental theater
and I thought that was gonna be my bread and butter or my--
- What kind of experimental theater?
- Like contact improv, basement of Dixon Place.
I did a show.
I had just finished a show called War Lesbian
where I played a hand and, and like a fur coat.
And I had just been at Williamstown
and they needed extra voices to read
through a preliminary script of the SpongeBob musical
at the Viacom building.
It was literally like, we're gonna be here
for two days to see
if Nickelodeon even wants to make this a musical.
I ended up being there from that very beginning to
like the five year process of developing it.
It's always been me just
like following people that I really love working with
with no expectation of where it will land or if it will--
the scale in which it will land,
and things just keep propelling into larger arenas.
And I feel so lucky because
for me it really isn't about the climb.
It's really just about making art that I believe in
with people that I love.
And it feels so affirming that it's working.