Everything Everywhere All At Once brought home seven Academy Awards at the 95th annual Oscars ceremony, and it was a bit of a Cinderella story for many of its winners, all first-time nominees. It was the most nominated film of the year and easy to root for since it was full of heart and cast and crew members that earned their place at the famed awards show alongside the likes of fellow nominee Steven Spielberg. Former scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis brought home Best Supporting Actress, veteran actress Michelle Yeoh landed Best Actress, and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert brought home Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. But it's hard not to be partial to Ke Huy Quan's win for Best Supporting Actor. He gave an emotional and moving speech, marking his big comeback to Hollywood on its biggest stage.
Quan was best known as a child star from the '80s, notably starring in The Goonies and as Indiana Jones' unlikely sidekick Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, his big screen debut. Throughout his career, he's openly thanked director Steven Spielberg for that big break, who was watching Quan's emotional acceptance speech from the audience with a big smile on his face. Quan recently thanked his former director when they crossed paths at the 2023 Golden Globes.
"To be able to look [Spielberg] in his eyes and to thank him for everything that he has done for me, you know ... that was really special," Quan told NPR. "I gave him a big hug and I said, 'Steven, I hope I make you proud tonight.' And he says, 'Ke, you made me proud when you were just 12 years old.' And it was just so good to give him that hug."
It's been 40 years since Short Round and Indy shared their big adventure, making it one of the sweetest moments of the night when Harrison Ford took the stage to announce the winner for Best Picture.
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Quan hopped up to applaud his former co-star, along with the rest of the audience, beaming. As soon as Everything Everywhere All At Once was crowned the winner, Quan joined Ford on stage with the rest of the cast and greeted him with a big hug. For Indiana Jones fans, the moment was not only empowering for Quan's big career comeback, but reminiscent of the sweet hug shared by Short Round and Indy in Temple of Doom.
Quan's career faltered after starring in a handful of major films as a child, and he made the decision to step away. He ended up going to USC film school, pursuing a career behind the scenes as a stunt coordinator. But acting was his first love, and eventually, the right opportunity came along. Everywhere All At Once was the first script he read after 20 years away from the camera.
"When I read the script for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion, because it was a script that I wanted to read for many, many years," Quan said. "It was a role that I thought was written for me, and I was just so excited."
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