Ke Huy Quan, a child star who returned to the spotlight after decades for “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” was named best-supporting actor at the Academy Awards.
Quan took the stage and shouted out his 84-year-old mother, who is watching from home, earning the first standing ovation of the night. “I just won an Oscar, Mom!”
For Quan, the win is an especially emotional conclusion to the awards season. He rose to prominence before he was a teenager, playing Harrison Ford’s sidekick in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1984 and appearing in “The Goonies” in 1985. However, Quan quit acting soon after because he discovered that there were few significant film roles for Asian people. He didn’t make his acting debut again until 2021, in “Everything Everywhere,” as Waymond Wang, the goofy husband of Michelle Yeoh’s multiverse-straddling laundromat owner.
“My journey began on a boat. I was in a refugee camp for a year. “And somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” he sobbed. “They say such stories only happen in movies. It’s unbelievable that this is happening to me. This is what the American dream is all about!”
He’s been the talk of awards season, taking home statues at the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, and SAG Awards, as well as his first Oscar nomination. It’s a touching coincidence that he’s been able to walk the red carpet alongside Steven Spielberg, who worked with Quan on “Indiana Jones” and is nominated for directing the semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans.”
“Dreams are something in which you must believe. “I nearly gave up on mine,” he said, fighting back tears. “Please keep your dream alive, everyone out there.”
Prior to leaving the stage, Quan expressed his appreciation to the Academy and Hollywood. “I appreciate it,” he said. “I really appreciate you welcoming me back.”
Quan was nominated alongside Judd Hirsch for “The Fabelmans,” Brendan Gleeson for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Barry Keoghan for “Causeway,” and Bryan Tyree Henry for “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, premiered to critical and commercial acclaim at SXSW 2022. The film became a rare pandemic-era indie smash, grossing $100 million worldwide. It is A24’s highest-grossing film of all time.
It’s no small feat that the film has managed to not only stay in but also dominate, the Oscar conversation for the past year. “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” became only the fifth film in history to win all four major guild awards during its record-breaking awards season (DGA, PGA, SAG, and WGA). It has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards, the most of any film this year, including best picture, best director for the Daniels, best supporting actress for Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis (who won the award), and best actress for Yeoh.
Because he was out of work during COVID, Quan lost his health insurance prior to his big comeback. The film “Everything, Everywhere” was shot in early 2020, but its theatrical release was postponed by two years due to the pandemic.
“I called my agent and asked, ‘Can you please get me something? It doesn’t matter because I only need one job to meet the bare minimum for health insurance,'” he recently explained on “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” “And I couldn’t find a single job.”
At that point, he realized that the success of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” could make or break his career. So he dialed up a producer and asked, “Can you please tell me one thing? Is my performance in the film good? Nobody is interested in hiring me.”
“[The producer said], ‘Ke, Just be patient,” he recalled. You just have to wait.”
