After 20 years away from acting, the star has won his first Golden Globe (Picture: Rich Polk/NBC via Getty Images)
Ke Huy Quan said he was told ‘never to forget where I came from’, thanking Steven Spielberg for kickstarting his career as he accepted a Golden Globe onstage, 39 years later.
Vietnamese-American star Quan’s first acting role came in the 1984 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in which he played the adventuring archaeologist’s (Harrison Ford) young sidekick, Short Round.
He followed that up as Data in cult classic The Goonies the following year, but acting opportunities dwindled for him as he got older, forcing him to eventually leave acting.
However, Tuesday night’s Golden Globes provided a beautiful full-circle moment for the 51-year-old as he scooped the best supporting actor award for his performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The performer has been open about being inspired to return to acting by Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, after previously quitting Hollywood due to a lack of roles on offer to him.
‘I was raised to never forget where I came from, and to always remember who gave me my first opportunity. I am so happy to see Steven Spielberg here tonight – Steven, thank you,’ he began his emotional speech.
Quan delivered an honest and emotional speech about his comeback to Hollywood (Picture: NBC/Backgrid)
He gave thanks to Steven Spielberg for starting his career with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Picture: NBC/Backgrid)
‘When I started my career as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I felt so very lucky to have been chosen. As I grew older, I started to wonder if that was it, if that was just luck.’
With a shaking voice as he fought back tears, he admitted: ‘For 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.
‘Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid, and they gave me an opportunity to try again.’
Quan went on to thank his Everything Everywhere All at Once directors, the Daniels, saying they had ‘given me more than I could have ever hoped’.
He called his Golden Globe win an ‘incredible honour’, and gave a shout-out to his co-stars and ‘the entire EEAAO family’.
The Waymond Wong actor was joined as a winner by his co-star Michelle Yeoh, who won the best actress prize in a musical or comedy – and made it very clear that she was not going to be played off during her speech.
Quan finished off his touching acceptance speech by thanking his wife for being ‘the one person that never stopped believing in me’.
Quan with his fellow best supporting actor nominee Brad Pitt (Picture: Christopher Polk/NBC via Getty Images)
His EEAAO co-star, Michelle Yeoh, was also a winner (Picture: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
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In the intervening 20 years that he wasn’t acting, Quan worked as a stunt co-ordinator and assistant director for films like X-Men and Enigma.
He is set to appear next in The Electric State and the second season of Marvel’s Loki.
Golden Globes 2023 winners list in full
Best Picture, Drama: The Fabelmans
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Director, Motion Picture: Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture: The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Austin Butler (Elvis)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama: Cate Blanchett (Tár)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture: Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Best Television Series, Drama: House of the Dragon (HBO)
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy: Abbott Elementary
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Kevin Costner (Yellowstone)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama: Zendaya (Euphoria)
Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
Best Supporting Actor, Television: Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)
Best Supporting Actress, Television: Julia Garner (Ozark)
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television: The White Lotus (HBO)
Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television: Evan Peters (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story)
Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television: Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout)
Best Performance by an Actress in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television: Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus)
Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television: Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird)
Best Original Score, Motion Picture: Babylon (Paramount Pictures) – Justin Hurwitz
Best Picture, Non-English Language: Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Best Original Song, Motion Picture: Naatu Naatu from RRR (Variance Films) — Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj
Best Motion Picture, Animated: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)
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His awards victory is a sweet celebration of an incredible return to acting after 25 years away.
