Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Stephanie Hsu has recently been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. And deservedly so. Holding her own against veteran actors Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as comeback actor Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu shows how she is more than just the New York Times Breakout Movie Star of 2022 but also an actor who has some long Hollywood staying power for years to come. But this isn’t Hsu’s first time in the spotlight.
In fact, she’s been entertaining audiences across a variety of mediums, between Broadway, television, streaming, and theatrical releases. And across these mediums, Stephanie Hsu proves time and time again why she is worthy of the spotlight. From her charming performance as Mei Lin in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to her critically acclaimed dramatic turn as Joy Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Stephanie Hsu proves why she is becoming one of the most recognizable actresses working today.
Stephanie Hsu’s Comedic Charisma & Television Roots
Although Stephanie Hsu is gaining a lot of attention for her dramatic role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hsu actually started off in Hollywood as a comedic actor. In fact, Hsu’s own comedy reel can be seen online. One of her first roles in the industry was in MTV’s Girl Code where she would play a part in the show’s variety of sketches about what it means to be a girl. She also appeared in an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. These minor comedic roles shouldn’t be discounted. Her role as Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere can be arguably attributed to these earlier performances. Hsu’s playful and chaotic presence as Jobu Tupaki is absurdist comedy at its best, using dildos as nunchucks, and turning security guards into confetti, all while dressing up as an Elvis impersonator.
Furthermore, for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Stephanie Hsu is no stranger. Her introduction in season 3 as Mei Lin not only left audiences captivated, but she also captured the heart of Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen). Mei is a young Chinese American woman whose family owns a shady gambling ring underneath Joel’s nightclub. And after a few snappy meetings, Joel quickly falls for Mei. But who wouldn’t fall in love with Hsu’s quick-witted sarcasm and assertive charm? Even putting on a 1960s New York accent, Hsu naturally slips into her role as Mei. Coming into Mrs. Maisel three seasons in comes with its own pressures, but there might be even more pressure when taking on the role as the new love interest for the ex-husband of the show’s titular character. Throughout the series, Hsu plays Mei Lin with similar pressures, because although she has won over Joel she has yet to win the approval of Joel’s parents. Hsu quickly succeeds in dispelling our doubts about her, proving Mei as a natural fit for Joel. Hsu’s performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel not only builds on her comedy skills but also shows her adaptability, completely immersing her performance in the lively period of 1960s New York.
How Stephanie Hsu Went From Breakout Movie Star to Oscar Contender
Though Hsu made a significant splash on the hit series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, she garnered a wider audience with the now Academy Award nominated film Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022, which is also A24’s highest grossing film to date. The premise of the film follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) who, in the midst of a tax audit for her family’s laundry business, is tasked with saving the multiverse. It’s a premise that, on first glance, holds similarities with Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, Everything Everywhere All at Once differentiates itself as a story primarily about the difficulties of raising a Chinese American family. But it’s not merely the economic or social struggles of an immigrant family that made the film resonate with so many people, but rather the family dynamic portrayed on screen by such exceptional performances. Hsu plays a dual role in the film, the villainous Jobu Tupaki who is out to destroy the multiverse and Joy, the Wangs’ troubled daughter seeking her mother’s approval. After watching the film, it’s no surprise why Hsu would be nominated for this role in particular.
In between Jobu Tupaki’s loud and angsty villainy and Joy Wang’s quiet and bittersweet moments, Stephanie Hsu grounds both her characters in an exceptional performance. The transitions between these performances are never jarring nor melodramatic but are as natural as any daughter would be in her situation. And she does all this by acting in various flamboyant costumes, props, and special effects, not to mention other bits of action choreography. From her sparkling Elvis impersonator suit to her simple pink golfing outwear, Hsu makes every outfit pop along with her charismatic charm. Even as a rock with googly eyes, Hsu lends an empathic voice to her performance. As Maya Salam from the New York Times puts it, “Hsu nailed the complex role of both a depressed, despairing daughter and the maniacally evil, chaos-inducing villain Jobu Tupaki.” Her role is very much crucial to the success of the film. Balancing the nihilism of Jobu Tupaki and the sincere yearning of Joy, Stephanie Hsu arguably carries Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Stephanie Hsu's Future Looks Bright
Across film and television, Stephanie Hsu is making a name for herself. In addition to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hsu has also appeared in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In it, she plays Soo, one of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy’s (Awkwafina) friends in San Francisco. It’s also a small reunion for Awkwafina and Hsu, who were both on MTV’s Girl Code. Furthermore, Hsu also appeared in a few episodes of Awkwafina’s Nora From Queens, a return to her comedic roots. Her role in Shang-Chi isn’t as significant as her other major roles, but with her recent acclaim from her work in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she might hopefully be given a more substantial part in the future of the MCU, along with her other Everything Everywhere costar Michelle Yeoh who plays Shang-Chi’s aunt Ying Nan.
Hsu has a number of upcoming television projects. She will reunite with Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan in Disney+’s American Born Chinese. Additionally, Hsu will appear in Rian Johnson’s upcoming Peacock mystery series Poker Face starring Natasha Lyonne. But Hsu’s time on the theatrical screen isn’t over either, as she has been recently cast opposite Aaron Taylor Johnson in the upcoming action film The Fall Guy directed by David Leitch. There is no doubt: Stephanie Hsu is a star with a bright future, and deservedly so. From comedy to drama, television and film, Hsu is an absolute standout.