Ke Huy Quan has been cleaning house on the awards circuit for his celebrated performance as Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once and is widely considered the frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor this weekend.
As he enjoys his victory lap, Quan says he has been approached by many Asian actors who have thanked him for his iconic child actor performances in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and The Goonies (1985). They’ve said his example helped inspire them to pursue careers in Hollywood.
But Quan, 51, says he’s the one who should be thanking them. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities for Asian performers, Quan abandoned acting more than two decades ago. He was lured back due to positive changes in Asian representation in movies and television in recent years, especially in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.
“They always thank me and say, ‘Man, it was so great to see you up there on the screen, because I was able to see myself. Thank you for paving the way for us to be here,’” Quan told GQ. “And, of course, it’s really interesting because they’ve paved the way for my return. My return to acting is the direct result of the progress made by them. It proves how important it is for not just Asian, but for all groups of people to be represented in entertainment.”
Leaving Acting Behind
The Vietnam-born Quan portrayed beloved characters as Indiana Jones’ sidekick Short Round and the precocious Data in The Goonies. But his Hollywood fortunes quickly changed. Despite an early role in the sitcom Head of the Class and a small role in the film Encino Man (1992), Quan found that job opportunities were no longer forthcoming.
“When I started my career as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I felt so very lucky to have been chosen,” Quan said during his recent Golden Globe…
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