Ke Huy Quan started his Hollywood career on a strong note by starring alongside Harrison Ford in the critically acclaimed, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Dooms. But Quan eventually left the world of acting behind after several failed attempts to land any substantial roles.
And despite working as an Assistant Director or a stunt coordinator for almost 2 decades. Quan finally found his moment to shine through the genre-defining, Everything Everywhere All at Once. And not only did it push the actor into stardom, but he also garnered several accolades for his exceptional performance in the movie.
Ke Huy Quan regrets leaving the world of acting behind
Despite having a promising start in the realm of Hollywood, Ke Huy Quan’s acting career was soon lost into obscurity. Apart from landing a few small acting gigs, the actor found it difficult to land any substantial roles in the 90s and eventually decided to quit acting, a decision Quan highly regrets. He stated,
“I thought that I was going to have this amazing career. It was tough. I was waiting for the phone to ring, and it rarely did.”
Although the actor soon found himself working behind the cameras for the major portion of his career, his desire to work in front of cameras soon re-ignited after watching Crazy Rich Asians. He said,
“I was happy working behind the camera but I had serious FOMO. I wanted to be up there with my fellow Asian actors!”
Following his search for the perfect role to make his comeback, Quan soon came across the role of Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which eventually landed him his first Oscar win.
Ke Huy Quan believes that the role of Waymond Wang was meant for him
Even though the actor regrets his decision of leaving his love for acting behind, the actor expressed that he wouldn’t be able to perform the role of Waymond Wang if it was offered 10 or 15 years ago. The actor shared that he resonated with the character and felt like it was written for him, as he could easily put himself in the shoes of the character. He said,
“When I read the script I thought it was written for me because they are me. I understood every single one of them. I don’t think I could have played Waymond had you given me the role 10, 15 years ago,”
Following his highs and lows throughout his career, fans are overjoyed that Ke Huy Quan eventually garnered the love and recognition he deserves and earned a well-deserved Oscar for his immaculate performance.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is available to stream on Showtime.
