A comeback king. Ke Huy Quan has taken Hollywood by storm with his performance as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once — culminating in his 2023 Oscars win.
The film — codirected by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — lead the 2023 Oscars race with a total of 11 nominations, including first-time acting nominations for Quan and his onscreen wife, Michelle Yeoh, for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively.
In addition to the 2021 film Finding ‘Ohana, Everything Everywhere marked the Vietnamese-American actor’s first major film role in two decades since 2002’s Second Time Around. After his years-long break, the former child star dominated the 2023 awards season by scoring Best Supporting Actor wins at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among many other accolades.
The Goonies star made history with his SAG Awards win, becoming the first Asian male to win in his category. “This is a really emotional moment for me,” he tearfully said during his acceptance speech. “Recently, I was told that if I were to win tonight, I would become the very first Asian actor to win in this category. When I heard this, I quickly realized that this moment no longer belongs to just me. It also belongs to everyone who has asked for changed.”
Going on to praise his fellow Asian SAG Award nominees — including fellow Everything Everywhere stars Stephanie Hsu and Harry Shum Jr. — Quan continued: “The landscape looks so different now than before, so thank you so much to all of you in this room and everyone who contributed to these changes. And thank you so much to SAG-AFTRA for this truly, truly prestigious honor.”
He ended his speech on a heartfelt note, stating, “To all those at home who are watching, who are struggling and waiting to be seen, please keep on going and the spotlight will one day find you.”
Quan got just as emotional while accepting the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes in January. He thanked director Steven Spielberg for casting him in his breakout role as Short Round in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and shared his struggles with overcoming his child star fame.
“Through 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,” he stated, before thanking Kwan and Scheinert (a.k.a. The Daniels). “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 that has happened since has been unbelievable.”
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Keep scrolling to learn more about Quan — from his early career days and family to the major franchise he is set to join and more.
