Tears filled Ke Huy Quan’s eyes as he stood before the Oscar crowd, his voice trembling with gratitude and disbelief-an emotional moment that turned a Hollywood comeback into something unforgettable.
“My journey started on a boat,” Quan started off. “I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!”
After thanking those who helped him along the way – including fellow Goonies actor Jeff Cohen, who is now his lawyer – Quan had a special shoutout for his wife.
“I owe everything to the love my life, Echo. Who month after month, year after year for 20 years told me that one day my time will come,” continued Quan. “Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”
Quan got his start in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where he played the adventurer’s plucky kid sidekick Short Round. While he played a few other roles in his youth, Quan stepped back from acting in his adulthood, discouraged by the lack of roles. While he remained in the industry over the years, working behind the scenes on films (including in the stunt department on 2000’s X-Men), Quan finally broke back into the world of acting to after a successful audition for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
In Everything Everywhere All At Once, Quan played Waymond, the husband of Michelle Yeoh’s character Evelyn, and every iteration of him across the multiverse. That includes the cool, confident “Alpha Waymond”; the regular Waymond, who puts googly eyes on everything and wants to fix his marriage; and the ultra romantic and pining celebrity-universe Waymond.
Ke Huy Quan early career in Goonies and Indiana Jones
Ke Huy Quan launched his acting career as a child after fleeing Vietnam with his family and settling in the US around 1979.
Indiana Jones Role
At age 12, Quan landed his breakout role as Short Round, Harrison Ford’s resourceful sidekick, in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), directed by Steven Spielberg. He got the part serendipitously when a casting director visited his brother’s school; Quan tagged along for support but impressed them enough to audition over 6,000 kids. Spielberg praised his natural responsiveness on set, where he learned taekwondo for stunts and bonded with Ford, who even taught him to swim.
Goonies Follow-Up
A year later, in 1985, Spielberg cast him again-this time as Data, the inventive gadget whiz-in The Goonies, which Spielberg produced. Quan has called these early years among the happiest of his life, though roles later dried up due to limited opportunities for Asian actors, leading to a 19-year hiatus.
Why did Ke Huy Quan quit acting after the 1990s
Ke Huy Quan quit acting in the mid-1990s after child stardom in films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies failed to translate into adult roles.
Lack of Opportunities
Hollywood offered few substantial parts for Asian actors during that era, leaving him with auditions for stereotypical or minor roles, such as competing for a two-line part in 1993 that he didn’t land. He described waiting endlessly for calls that never came, feeling “frozen” and questioning his future after years of sparse work.
Career Shift
At age 23, he enrolled at USC’s film school, then pivoted to behind-the-camera jobs like assistant directing and stunt coordination on projects including X-Men (2000). He blamed personal shortcomings initially but later recognized industry bias, taking a 19-year hiatus until inspired by Crazy Rich Asians to return.
