Ke Huy Quan thanks Steven Spielberg for giving him his ‘first opportunity’ in emotional Golden Globes speech
Ke Huy Quan #KeHuyQuan
Last year was the Ke Huy Quan comeback tour. Now it’s time for the Ke Huy Quan award tour.
The Everything Everywhere All at Once star — who famously began his career as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Data in The Goonies (1985) — won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture Tuesday night, and is considered the heavy favorite to repeat at the Oscars come March.
Quan made his Globes moment immediately unforgettable when he excitedly acknowledged the man in the crowd who gave him his first break, Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg, in attendance as a Best Director nominee for his semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans.
“I was raised to never forget where I came from and to always remember who gave me my first opportunity,” an overjoyed Quan, 51, said as he grasped his Globe. I am so happy to see Steven Spielberg here tonight. Steven, thank you!”
(Quan shared a less public, but just as viral moment with Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, at the D23 Expo in September.)
After appearing in the fourth and fifth seasons of Head of the Class (1990-1991) and the 1992 comedy Encino Man, Quan largely disappeared from the public eye. He struggled to find acting work, and transitioned to a life behind the camera as a stunt choreographer on films like X-Men (2000) and The One (2001).
Nearly 20 years later, Everything Everywhere directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka The Daniels) recruited Quan back to the screen to play Waymond Wang, the divorce-seeking laundromat-running Chinese-American immigrant, and his multiverse alter egos.
“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 speech. “As I grew older, I started to wonder if that was it. If that was just luck. For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer. That no matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid.
“Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid. And they gave me an opportunity to try again.”
Everything Everywhere, which became a sleeper hit and phenomenon among film lovers, has catapulted Quan back into an acting career. He’s already been cast to co-star in the second season of Marvel’s Loki on Disney+.
“Everything that has happened since has been unbelievable,” Quan said. “Dan Kwan, Daniel Sheinert, thank you so, so much for helping me find my answer. You have given me more than I could have ever hoped.”