EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Michelle Yeoh is back in action with the role of a lifetime — or perhaps several lifetimes, given the film's multiverse premise — as a mom in distress in "Everything Everywhere All At Once."
At her side throughout the unique storyline are two Orange County-native brothers, Andy and Brian Le. And their working relationship on-screen didn't stop there, as the three of them went on to co-star in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," which Andy Le detailed to Spectrum News in August 2021.
What You Need To Know
- Actors Andy and Brian Le grew up in Westminster's Little Saigon neighborhood
- They both worked on Marvel's film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," released in 2021
- Before "Shang-Chi," the Le brothers had co-starred with Michelle Yeoh in "Everything Everywhere All At Once," now in theaters
- Andy and Brian Le got their start in entertainment through YouTube after learning martial arts mostly by themselves
Growing up and still residing in OC's Little Saigon, Andy and Brian Le were raised by Vietnamese parents who immigrated to the U.S. during the war.
"We weren't well off," as Brian put it, explaining how his hardworking parents were employed at a swap meet and enlisted their two sons to help at a young age. In their free time, Andy and Brian would watch the "hella kung fu movies" their dad rented from video stores.
"We knew at a very young age that we wanted to be just like the heroes that we were watching on screen," said Andy. "When you’re getting picked on at school, if you come home and you’re watching Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan fight off the bad guys, fight off the bullies, that does something to you."
By the time they reached high school, the self-taught martial artist brothers started churning out videos for their Martial Club YouTube channel, an avenue that was ultimately discovered by acclaimed filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
Collectively known as "Daniels," their latest film "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is now in theaters and co-stars Andy and Brian Le in standout, butt-kicking roles — no pun intended, as several fight scenes heavily rely on butt plugs and adult toys as weapons.
The sci-fi adventure storyline follows an exhausted laundromat owner (Yeoh) who can't seem to finish her taxes, only to be pulled by forces greater than her own across different lifetimes and versions of her existence in an effort to save the world from destruction.
Upon meeting for the first time — the Daniels initially made contact via Facebook Messenger, of all things — the directors and the Le brothers hit it off and quickly found common ground on their uniquely humorous passions when it comes to cinema.
"One, we were able to bring the Hong Kong martial arts flavor. We were able to bring that kind comedic, slapstick style," said Andy. "And they also said we knew how to have fun.”
In recalling their favorite moments on set, Brian Le couldn't help but point back to those outrageous fight scenes where his character gets "slapped around" mercilessly by adult toys.
"We all had to stop and take a break to just all get the laughing out," he said.
The Le brothers noted that they were also inspired after sharing scenes with Jamie Lee Curtis, who rose to A-lister status following the classic scary movie "Halloween."
"The queen of Hong Kong action cinema [Yeoh] and the scream queen of all horror films [Curtis], all in one movie, you can’t imagine," said Brian. "It’s a dream come true.”
Plus, as actors who perform all their own stunts, the brothers were impressed with Ke Huy Quan, the familiar child star face from classics such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies."
"On the day of [shooting], [Quan] did like 95% of his action," said Andy. "I jumped in and doubled for maybe one or two shots, but for the most part, it was all him."
Following the success of "Everything Everywhere All At Once," the Le brothers are excited to continue appearing in movies and TV shows while staying focused on bringing certain passion projects to life, including a Martial Club feature film. They remain grateful for the opportunities thus far, particularly in developing a friendship with Yeoh.
"Michelle is a queen," said Andy, with Brian in agreement. "She’s an amazing actress, an amazing action martial-arts heroine. But beyond that, she is just an amazing human being. She’s genuinely always looking out for us, kind of motherly in a way."
"Everything Everywhere All At Once" currently holds a 97% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is in theaters now.
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