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Photos: Michelle Yeoh, co-stars at the Castro Theatre debut of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Michelle Yeoh takes a bow alongside her co-stars, directors, and a film critic at the Castro Theatre on March 20, 2022. | Camille Cohen
By Han Li

Hundreds of fans lined up outside of the Castro Theatre Sunday afternoon in anticipation of the American premiere of Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The mind-bending film—from the directors of Swiss Army Man and A24—is the second major Hollywood production to debut at The Castro in recent months. The Matrix: Resurrections debuted at The Castro in December.

The film stars internationally acclaimed actress Michelle Yeoh, who told the invite-only crowd that she considers San Francisco her home away from home.

Hundreds lined up for hours outside the Castro Theatre on March 20, 2022 to catch the premiere of 'Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.' | Camille Cohen

“I am a little overwhelmed tonight,” Yeoh said during a Q&A session after the screening. At one point during the panel discussion, a fan yelled from the audience in Cantonese: “I love you!”

Yeoh expressed her gratefulness for all the support she’s felt from the San Francisco community “throughout the years, not just tonight.”

Michelle Yeah (second from left) discusses the making of the film 'Everything, Everywhere, All At Once,' alongside her co-stars, directors, and a film critic at the Castro Theatre on March 20, 2022. | Camille Cohen

Born in Malaysia, Yeoh began her acting career in Hong Kong. She rose to international fame in 1997, starring alongside Pierce Brosnan as the machine-gun wielding Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies. She went on to land roles in the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians. She was also cast in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Yeoh also served as the grand marshal of San Francisco’s Chinese New Year parade in 2018.

The Castro Theatre’s marquee advertises the 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' premiere on March 20, 2022. | Camille Cohen

In Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh plays the film’s protagonist, Evelyn Wang—a Chinese immigrant and mother who finds herself unwittingly sucked into an interdimensional adventure, hop-scotching through the “multi-verse” to save her family.

A number of prominent figures in San Francisco’s Asian American community were in attendance, including Sheriff Paul Miyamoto and City Attorney David Chiu.

Chiu said he was excited that the studio picked San Francisco for the premiere, and said it felt especially good to see a film centered around a Chinese family. “It was wonderful to see an incredibly talented Asian cast in a movie that had such universal themes for humanity,” Chiu said.

Han Li can be reached at han@sfstandard.com

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Arts & EntertainmentAsian AmericanThe Castro Theatre