Everything Everywhere All At Once actor Ke Huy Quan wins an Oscar after making a comeback at 50

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once dominated Oscars 2023, by winning awards under seven categories - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Direction, among others. Actor Ke Huy Quan won his first Academy Award (Best Supporting Actor), becoming the second Asian to ever win the award under this category, joining Haing S Ngor for The Killing Fields in 1984.

Quan received a standing ovation from the audience, as he burst into tears, while receiving the award. “Mom, I just won an Oscar,” he said. In his acceptance speech he also said, “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream. Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine,” he added.

He was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and moved to Hong Kong as a refugee, eventually settling in the US. As a child actor, he acted in some of Hollywood’s biggest movies such as 1984 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies, Breathing Fire, and The Encino Man.

Although his stint as an actor came to an end after the release of The Goonies when he faced difficulties in landing good roles in the US. Later, he studied filmmaking and became a stunt choreographer and worked in films like X-Men, The One, and 2046.

Inspired by the success of Crazy Rich Asians, he returned to acting at the age of 50 and landed a role in Kwan and Scheinert’s film. He made his acting comeback 30 years later with Everything Everywhere All at Once - starring Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis, among others. The film became an international hit, bagging an Oscar nomination and eventually grabbing the Best Picture award.

The film is about an Asian woman, Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, who lives in the US with her family and travels between multiple time zones. Quan plays Waymond Wang, Evelyn’s husband in the film.

Quan’s performance was widely appreciated and in addition to grabbing an Oscar award, he also won a Golden Globe Award, Hollywood Critics Association Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in the film.