Ke Huy Quan was most known for his two breakout roles when he was a child actor. I have to admit that I haven’t seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (yet) but I sure as hell have seen The Goonies. It was one of those random movies that me, my siblings, and cousins watched on TV and it became one of those movies as you’re growing up that makes you feel like it’s so great to be a kid.
But when you’re a kid, you’re not following the filmographies of actors or understanding that the people you see on the screen are doing a job and it’s not always an easy job. When I first started hearing buzz about Everything Everywhere All At Once, the most that stuck with me was that it was a movie featuring mostly Asians, but Jamie Lee Curtis is also in it. I’m a huge Jamie Lee Curtis fan, so I figured it was at least one of those good small films that would be interesting to catch on TV one day or for free once it’s available on streaming.
The more and more I started to hear about the movie, I had to find out what the movie was all about, without actually seeing the movie first. Meaning, I’m going to do my research and read some articles and watch as many YouTube clips as I can first and then I’ll find a way to watch the film.
What caught me off guard were the interviews which featured Ke Huy Quan, who plays the sensitive and patient husband and father, Waymond Wang. What was peculiar about his interviews was that it wasn’t just the typical celebrity interviews you’d see when they’re promoting a new film. Amongst all of the talk about the movie and how great it was to film it with legends like Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, and James Hong, was the shockingly sad journey he took to find his way back to the big screen.
And so, that’s how the season of this series featuring Ke Huy Quan started for me. Binge watching any and all interviews I could find online featuring Ke and his fellow EEAAO cast and crew mates. As time passes and more and more interviews are posted, you can see how Ke is slowly increasing the amount of heartache he endured.
Season 1 highlight: Ke Huy Quan on Jimmy Kimmel Live - March 30, 2022
One of the first interviews I watched him in was this one with Jimmy Kimmel. And props to Jimmy Kimmel for having several of the EEAAO cast on his show from the start including: Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, and even James Hong. When was the last time you saw James Hong on a big talk show like Jimmy Kimmel Live?
The interview with Jimmy Kimmel was mostly upbeat. But, Ke did gently push back on Kimmel’s characterization of his leaving acting as “retiring from acting”. He lightly touched on how there weren’t many opportunities for an Asian actor, but he didn’t dwell too much or reveal too much the extent of his hardships.
Season 1 highlight: Ke Huy Quan gets more candid about his hardships in a podcast with Josh Horowtiz - January 10, 2023
Fast forward to this January 2023 interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast is where Ke doesn’t hold back on the reality of his struggles. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t get a job. But the kind of jobs he was being turned down from, which were shit. Even when he got the EEAAO role, he still couldn’t find a job after putting that soon to be 7 time Oscar winning film on his resume. Things were so bad he lost his health insurance and he even needed reassurance from his producer, Jonathan Wang.
Season 1 highlight: Ke Huy Quan on NPR with Ann Marie Baldonado - February 27, 2023
But it wasn’t just the lack of job opportunities that makes you want to wish only good things for Ke. In this interview with NPR, the interviewer asks more personal questions that revolve around he and his family’s journey from Vietnam to Los Angeles.
This was the first time that I had come across an interview where Ke discusses in detail about what it was like to be a refugee and the sacrifices his parents had to make. He even candidly shares how being cast in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom allowed him to help his parents pay off their debt and buy a house. There’s simply no bullshitting around with Ke and it’s so amazing to see.
The 14 best moments of the season finale (or the night of the Oscars) of the return of Ke Huy Quan!
If the Oscar ratings were up 12% from last year, I’m sure a lot of it had to do with fans of EEAAO and the cast including Ke Huy Quan. We wanted to see how Ke's comeback ended up like. And boy, did the season finale of the return of Ke Huy Quan did not disappoint! Here are the best parts of the season finale (or the night of the Oscars!).
#1 The extended applause when Jimmy Kimmel namechecked Ke as a first time Oscar nominee
#2 Jimmy Kimmel makes a joke about Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan starring in Encino Man together
#3 Ariana DeBose’s voice cracking when she announced Ke Huy Quan as the Oscar winner
#4 Everyone on their feet for Ke’s win
#5 Steven Spielberg beaming with pride for Ke
#6 Ke proudly tells his mom that he just won an Oscar
#7 Seeing the two portraits of Waymond in the background
#8 Echo in tears as Ke tells everyone she was the one who told him every month for 20 years that his day would come
#9 Ke waving and blowing kisses to Steven Spielberg in the audience who waved back
#10 Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) reunites with Indy (Harrison Ford) on stage during the Best Picture Oscar
#11 Steven Spielberg is once again on his feet for his former child star
#12 Mid credits scene: Disney+ drops a teaser for American Born Chinese on Oscars day
View the teaser for American Born Chinese dropping on Disney+ on May 24, 2023.
#13 End credits scene: Encino Man co-stars reunite backstage
#14 Post credits scene: Ke Huy Quan crashes Jimmy Kimmel Live
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