Everything Everywhere Directors Reveal What It's Like Working With These Iconic Actresses - Exclusive

What do you do when you have the chance to work with one of the most popular and legendary actresses of her generation? You grab the opportunity, of course — and then you sign up another iconic actress to join her.

That's what directors and writers Daniel Kwan and Dan Scheinert (known collectively as Daniels) did for their mind-bending new film, "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The movie stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American woman whose everyday problems — a dysfunctional family, a struggling laundromat business, an overbearing father, and a relentless IRS agent — are overshadowed when she learns that all of existence (i.e., the multiverse) is in danger, and she is the only one who might save it.

The renowned Yeoh, famous for her work in Hong Kong action cinema as well as Hollywood hits like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," came aboard the film early on. Meanwhile, in the role of IRS agent Deidre Beaubeidra — who is present in various forms throughout the multiverse as well — the filmmakers cast the equally celebrated Jamie Lee Curtis, longtime star of the "Halloween" franchise as well as classics like "Trading Places," "True Lies," "A Fish Called Wanda," and the recent "Knives Out."

Asked about having these two incredible women of the screen in their film — which marks the first time the two have ever worked together — Daniel Kwan laughingly admits to Looper, "We definitely broke their brains a couple times on set."

Daniel Kwan and Dan Scheinert are no strangers to working with well-known actors: Their first feature, 2016's "Swiss Army Man," starred Daniel Radcliffe of "Harry Potter" fame and Paul Dano, currently frightening the public as the Riddler in "The Batman." But Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis are in a class all their own, and both Kwan and Scheinert are eager to discuss working with them.

"Jamie is like no one else we've ever worked with," says Scheinert. "She shows up hours before we need her there and she'll get in costume and start wandering the set, talking to background actors and crew members." Kwan adds, "I'd say Jamie is a student of life. That's the energy she brings to everything. She's always asking questions, always inquisitive, trying to figure out how things work. That's a magical person to have on set."

As for Michelle Yeoh, Kwan continues, "Michelle is more — she treats everyone and everything like potential family. Because she's always moving around the world, she has developed this really amazing skill to find family wherever she goes and really mean it. The fact that she still texts us sometimes and asks for pictures of my son — that's not an act, she's very much invested in people all around the world. She brings that energy to set."

Scheinert calls both actresses "playful" and adds that while they come to the set prepared, "They don't over-prepare ... they're not crazy precious on the day if we throw a curveball or are like, 'Why don't we try it like that?'" In fact, with all the universe-jumping that occurs in the film, Kwan admits, "We definitely broke their brains a couple times on set ... we had to take a break from shooting." Scheinert concurs: "There are a few times where Michelle had a laughing fit ... She was like, 'What are we doing?'"

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" is now playing in limited release and will expand on April 8.