Ke Huy Quan won more than Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars last night as he also won the hearts of everyone who watched his acceptance speech.
Quan won the Academy Award for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once (which has now become the most awarded film of all time), marking perhaps one of the greatest Hollywood comebacks of all time.
Known in the 80s for starring in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, Quan quit acting over a lack of opportunities before returning to the profession decades later. "They say stories like that only happen in the movies," he said during his acceptance speech. "I can't believe it's happening to me. This is the American dream."
Ke Huy Quan wins Best Supporting Actor #Oscar!!! He is only the second Asian actor to win in this category in 95 years. I am bawling. pic.twitter.com/2cAAPnPd1l
— Nancy Wang Yuen (@nancywyuen) March 13, 2023
Quan struggled to hold back tears as the Oscars crowd gave him a standing ovation. "My mom is 84 years old and she's at home watching," he said. "Mom, I just won an Oscar.
"My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. Somehow I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage."
He also thanked his wife Echo for her support. "I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife Echo, who month after month, year after year, for 20 years, told me that one day, one day my time would come."
Apart from the Historic #NaatuNaatu #Oscar Win 🤩
My Favourite Moment of #Oscars2023 is got to be #HarrisonFord & #KeHuyQuan reuniting at the #Oscars Stage since "Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom" & #StevenSpielberg being so proud of them 😍🥰😍#AcademyAwards… https://t.co/19vgXGTO7c pic.twitter.com/nS8YCmVufx— Ayyo (@AyyAyy0) March 13, 2023
It was also a night of reunions for Quan, who spoke with Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford. It's been close to 40 years since Temple of Doom premiered, but an emotional moment was shared between the two as Ford presented the award and offered his congratulations to Quan.
The actor later bounced into the press room with his Oscar in hand, shouting to reporters: "Can you believe I'm holding one of these?"
Everything Everywhere All At Once took home a total of seven Oscars over the course of the night, also winning Best Picture, Writing (Original Screenplay), Editing, and Music for its original song This is a Life. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert received the Directing award, while Michelle Yeoh received the Actress in a Leading Role award and Jamie Lee Curtis received the Actress in a Supporting Role award.
In our 10/10 review of the film, IGN said: "Everything Everywhere All at Once changes the game for what cinematic multiverses can be, with thrilling action, excellent performances, and a world of possibilities."
Image Credit: Amy Sussman / Staff via Getty Images
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.