A key scene from Everything Everywhere All At Once was almost completely different, along with an entire universe. Everything Everywhere All At Once follows Evelyn Quan, a laundromat owner trying to make ends meet, as she discovers the reality of a dangerous multiverse and is forced to take measures to try to save it from absolute devastation. By combining her skills and experiences with alternate versions of herself, she manages to face off against a threat that she never saw herself as capable of challenging and proves herself a hero.
The reality of the Everything Everywhere All At Once multiverse is that it leaves the movie constantly jumping between alternate universes — with some being more chaotic than others. With entire universes entirely devoid of humans, there is even one location where life never took hold on Earth, and instead, the characters are mere rocks, sharing a few relaxing moments and laughing together. In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, cinematographer Larkin Seiple revealed that the Rock Universe could have been very different had real-world filming circumstances changed even slightly. Check out Seiple’s quote below:
“The hardest universe to do — I don’t know, the ‘Rock Universe’ was the most painful to do. We had to drive four hours south of LA, a crew of six, it was 115 degrees, we got cars stuck in the sand, we had to bring all this stuff out there, and we had to shoot it in six hours. It was so hot, we had umbrellas, that’s how painful the sun was, it was so hot that when the sun went down, it felt really cold and everyone could breathe and sighed, and then we checked the temperature and it was 100 degrees. We felt cold in 100 degrees. At the same time, that was also maybe the most fun in that it was kind of done guerilla style of an incredibly small team, everyone was doing everything, and it was very silly, it just felt very absurd to be out there getting sunburned, and killing yourself, and then just to get these two rocks, and then they’re just hand animated by the Daniels in a very simple manner, that was probably the trickiest one to shoot. We almost didn’t do it there! They initially wanted to find somewhere closer, because we were going to shoot it while we were making the film originally, we were going to shoot just in a forest in someone’s backyard, and I fought really hard to be like, ‘No, we’re gonna go there. It needs to be this epic shot.’ So then, when COVID hit, it gave us the excuse to go and actually scout beautiful places, and also gave us the excuse to shoot it with a team of six. So, in another universe, that could have been a very boring Rock Universe.”
Why The Rock Universe Was So Vital To EEAO
Everything Everywhere All At Once is a movie that features a remarkably fast pace with little time to stop, smell the roses, and consider the struggles of the characters emotionally and the reality of the entire multiverse potentially crumbling. With so many minute details, even the bagels and googly eyes have important meanings and can draw attention at any given moment. Yet the Rock Universe gives the movie a chance to pause, slow its pace, and let the characters catch their breath and consider their options. Instead of continuing the breakneck pace, characters can stop and think.
It’s a universe that encourages introspection and promotes a sheer and profound sense of empathy with the characters, as they stop, talks through their failings, and then learn to laugh them off and move on. The moment is the difference between a movie with such a harsh pace that it’s impossible to follow and a touching movie with significant action. The Rock Universe also shows a way that the Marvel Cinematic Universe misses the multiverse concept by showing that not every depicted universe needs to be essential. It grounds the multiverse by proving that not everything is consequential, and some universes are just piled rocks, which feels more realistic.
Could EEAO Bring Home The Best Picture Oscar?
Everything Everywhere All At Once has good odds to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Though Top Gun: Maverick outearned the production and The Fabelmans is the favorite, there is no clear runaway victor, and Everything Everywhere All At Once did manage to take home the Best Picture award at the Critics Choice Awards, which is a great sign. While betting odds for the 2023 Oscars may not necessarily be in Everything Everywhere All At Once‘s favor, there is still a serious chance. If it does win, Everything Everywhere All At Once will benefit from its cinematic beauty and the momentary lapse provided by the Rock Universe.