Who are the Daniels? Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert win big at the Oscars for "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Two men with one name were called up to the stage several times at the Oscars — the Daniels. They are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the directing duo whose movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was most honored film at the Academy Awards.
The pair met as students at Emerson College and connected as assistants at the New York Film Academy summer camp in 2009, they told Boston.com.
"That's kind of why Daniels exists now. We were summer camp counselors and we were both so hyper and so enthusiastic about making really weird movies with the kids that we kind of realized we were kindred spirits, so we decided to keep making our own summer movies after hours," Scheinert told the publication.
They became known as the creative minds behind several music videos, including Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What," and many short films. They've also directed commercials for Apple, Nike, Converse and several other bands.
"Music videos and commercials are an incredible place for filmmakers to find their voice," Kwan told CBS News' Jamie Wax in an interview ahead of the Academy Awards.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" was just their second full-length film, following "Swiss Army Man" — a 2016 film starring another Daniel: Radcliffe.
The pair waited years to be able to make "Everything Everywhere All at Once" the way the wanted to. The film, produced by A24, has a mainly Asian cast, which the duo said they fought for.
Their vision paid off — the film went into the Oscars with 11 nominations, the most of any movie this year. And on Sunday, wearing complimentary suits with a maroon theme, the Daniels took the stage several times, winning the Oscars for best director, best original screenplay and best picture.
The stars of the movie also made history. Michelle Yeoh became the first actress of Southeast Asian descent to win the Oscar for best actress. Ke Huy Quan, who got his start as a child actor in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies," took home best supporting actor.
Their co-star Jamie Lee Curtis won best supporting actress, and the film won for best editing.
During their speech for best screenplay, Kwan admitted he has low self esteem and his impostor syndrome was "at an all time high," after winning the award. He thanked his mom, wife and Scheinert for believing in him.
Scheinert thanked "all the mommies" when the pair accepted the award for best directing, and also thanked his parents for not squashing his creativity.