Ke Huy Quan has seen it all: from fleeing his native Vietnam on a boat to living in refugee camp in Hong Kong, to being granted political asylum before landing a role on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) at an age of twelve. Close to forty years since, Quan has gone on to win an Oscar for his efforts – and this after a career largely interspersed with side roles.
Quan starred alongside eventual Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), which has been making headlines for all the right reasons ever since its release. The movie won accolades by the armful across prestigious award ceremonies and earned the praise and acclaim of fans from around the world.
Ke Huy Quan relives Oscar glory, talks about wife’s support throughout career grind
Ke Huy Quan played the role of the rather flaky husband to Michelle Yeoh’s lead role of a laundromat owner in Everything Everywhere All At Once. His portrayal of Waymond Wang and his different incarnations earned him the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards. Like he mentioned in his acceptance speech, Quan hasn’t always had a smooth ride in his career, landing mostly spotty roles and side acts after his initial succes with Temple of Doom.
Reliving his finest hour after finally winning the biggest award Hollywood has to offer, Quan reflected on his journey so far, and how his wife Echo always supported him throughout, reminding him that “[his] time will come” eventually, every month for the past twenty years.
“At times, I was frustrated with her,” Quan said, moved to tears at the recollection.“I told her, ‘You keep saying that, and it’s never going to happen.’ I didn’t believe it. Twenty years isn’t a short time.”
It sure did happen for Ke Huy Quan eventually, and how.
Ke Huy Quan’s Everything Everywhere All At Once ran through the Oscars
Everything Everywhere All At Once depicted the concept of parallel universes like no other. Audiences globally took to the idea immediately and made it an instant hit, which culminated into several awards at the 2023 Academy Awards. The movie won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Original Screenplay among others.
Ke Huy Quan talked about the emotions coursing through the cast of the movie as they braced to hear Michelle Yeoh‘s name for Best Actress.
“Right before it happened, I looked over at Michelle, and I knew she was very nervous. And we held each other’s hands: Jamie [Lee Curtis, Best Actress in a Supporting Role] was closer to her, so Michelle held Jamie’s hand, Jamie held my hand, and I held Stephanie Hsu’s [co-star on Everything Everywhere] hand. We were just hoping and praying that her name would be called. And then history was made.”
Quan worries a little about his future projects and their availability. As of now, he has been signed on by the MCU apart from for other projects. He is set to star in the MCU’s Loki Season 2 later this year.
Source: Twitter
