Ke Huy Quan’s Big Night: From His Fight to the Oscar to Reuniting with Harrison Ford 40 Years After Indiana Jones

“It takes time to arrive, and in the end there is a reward,” sang the popular artist Mercedes Sosa on your topic “zone of promises”. And from Tucumán to non-stop Hollywood, this Mecca of cinema where dreams always come true (or almost), this verse takes on a new meaning. ‘Cause it took 40 years to end Ke Huy Quan was recognized and received his first Oscar.

The American-Vietnamese actor raised his statuette won in good and due form by the multi-awarded Everything everywhere at the same time. The film which captivated and applauded but which above all revealed one of the most moving moments of the ceremony. And that’s when the actor, who took part in famous films in the 80s, heard his name and took the stage to receive the award and say a few words.

Totally overwhelmed with tears, he said: “My mom is 84 and she is at home watching me. Mom, I just won an Oscar.” The whole theater cheered enthusiastically until there was a silence and the actor could continue his moving and heartfelt speech. “My journey began on a boat. I lived in a refugee camp for a year and somehow ended up here on the biggest stage in Hollywood They say stories like this only happen in movies I can’t I can’t believe this is happening to me. It’s the American dream,” the 51-year-old actor said to close to another round of applause.

It is that his life and the path to glory, as he has so well told it, have not been easy at all. In 1978, Ke Huy Quan fled to a refugee camp in Hong Kong with his family. In 1979 they moved to California and there, at the age of 12, he seemed to have been touched by the magic wand when he was chosen to play the little Connect In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomnext to Harrison Ford and led by none other than Steven Spielberg. His life and that of his family were definitely beginning to change.

A year later, Spielberg had a friendship story on his hands and called him to play Data In The Goonies. In 1992, Ke Huy Quan would share the poster with another of the stars of the 2023 Oscars: Brendan Fraser -winner of best actor for his amazing performance in The whale-. together they made the movie the california man, which was also a box office success in the United States. And what foresaw a successful career for this child prodigy quickly fizzled out: Hollywood closed its doors to him. His name, with the exception of a few sporadic appearances in cinema or television, has fallen into oblivion.

Until a while ago, when award-winning Best Picture directors needed an actor who could pull off moves similar to Jackie Chan, but who will speak Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese and English. In his figure, they found everything and more, so they gave him the role and so he entered the skin of Waymond Wang which led him to live his big night, that of his definitive consecration.

This role also allowed him memorable moments during the ceremony of the Hollywood Academy which the public celebrated. Like the encounter on stage with Harrison Fordalmost 40 years later IndianaJones. It was that Ford was tasked with delivering the Best Picture award and there, on stage and in plain sight, that magical embrace was given that was celebrated with tears and applause.

The backstage encounter and the two with prizes in hand with Brendan Fraser He was also portrayed and moviegoers were quick to seek out those shared scenes in the 1992 film, where they were both teenagers. Now established and recognized by audiences and critics, they were able to kiss years later and greet each other years later, victors after strong struggles and subsequent resilience. Because dreams come true, even if they sometimes cost a little more.

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