10 More Best Actor Replacements In Movies

The Best Picture-winning absurdist dramedy Everything Everywhere All at Once was widely acclaimed for its four central performances, all of which were nominated for Oscars, and three of which went on to win the gongs outright.

Stephanie Hsu ended up losing out on a Best Supporting Actress Oscar to her veteran co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, but Hsu's performance as Evelyn's (Michelle Yeoh) troubled daughter Joy was nothing if not a star-making turn.

Yet Hsu wasn't actually the first choice for the part - Awkwafina was originally signed to play Joy in early 2018, though she ended up leaving the film due to scheduling conflicts shortly before shooting began.

Now, Awkwafina has proven herself a plenty talented dramatic actor in projects like The Farewell, but it's also tough to fully picture her as this character.

For starters, her higher profile as a performer would've surely prevented her from disappearing into the role in the way that the lesser-known Hsu did, and it's easy to picture her manic energy resulting in a portrayal of Joy/Jobu Tupaki that was a little too big for its own good.