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Evelyn Quan Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh 

The movie’s protagonist, a Chinese American immigrant who finds herself embroiled in a multi-dimensional conflict. Evelyn lives with her husband Waymond above the laundromat that they own and operate. Her marriage is strained, as Waymond feels that she makes little time for him, and she also has a difficult relationship with her daughter Joy. Evelyn is haunted by the thought that she has squandered her potential and wasted her life. Her ordinary life is suddenly upended, however, when she learns that she is being hunted by Jobu Tupaki, a powerful, dimension-hopping version of Joy. In order to save the multiverse, Evelyn must learn to harness the powers and experiences of her alternate selves to stop Jobu.  

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Waymond Wang, played by Ke Huy Quan 

Evelyn’s husband and Joy’s father. He attempts to serve Evelyn with divorce papers in an effort to spark a conversation about the state of their marriage. Though he appears, to Evelyn, naïve and meek, he is firm in his values and demonstrates a quiet strength under pressure. In the “alphaverse,” Waymond is a guerilla fighter who seeks to save the multiverse from the villainous Jobu Tupaki.  

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Joy Wang, played by Stephanie Hsu 

Daughter of Evelyn and Waymond. She has a strained relationship with her mother as a result of generational and cultural differences, including her mother’s reluctance to accept her relationship with another young woman, Becky. In an alternative universe, Joy is corrupted by her simultaneous experience of endless universes, becoming the powerful and villainous Jobu Tupaki.  

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Gong Gong, played by James Hong   

Evelyn’s father and Joy’s grandfather. He visits Evelyn and Waymond for the Chinese New Year, despite disowning Evelyn when she first married Waymond. Evelyn’s reluctance to introduce Joy’s partner, Becky, to Gong Gong becomes a major source of tension in their relationship. In the “alphaverse,” he is a powerful leader who seeks to destroy Jobu by any means necessary.  

Deirdre, played by Jamie Lee Curtis  

An agent working for the IRS. She is responsible for overseeing the audit of Raymond and Evelyn’s laundromat. Though she initially appears to be unsympathetic to the Wang family’s struggles, she helps them process their complex paperwork. In another universe, where people have long, hotdog-like fingers, she and Evelyn are partners.  

Chad, played by Harrie Shum Jr.  

In an alternative universe, Chad is a teppaki chef who is controlled by a racoon who hides in his chef’s hat, in the manner of the film Ratatouille. Though he and the Evelyn of his universe are enemies at first, she later helps him to save the racoon.  

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