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13th March 2023
09:10am GMT
'They say stories like this only happen in the movies'
As a child star, Ke Huy Quan, was in two of the biggest movies of the 1980s, but then the curtain came down on his dream because no one would hire him.
On Sunday night, he won an Oscar for best supporting actor for superhero comedy, Everything Everywhere All at Once, in what was a remarkable night for both him and the movie. It collected seven awards including best picture, director and three acting prizes - a first for a movie in the history of the Academy Awards.
Quan told the crowd at the event in Los Angeles: "They say stories like this only happen in the movies.
"I cannot believe it's happening to me. This is the American dream."
Quan triumphed over Judd Hirsch for The Fabelmans, and two of The Banshees of Inisherin’s cast, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan.
His comeback, on the same night Brendan Fraser completed his, with a best actor win for The Whale, comes after he appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (as Short Round) and The Goonies (as Data), but was forced to quit acting in the 90s. He became a stunt choreographer and assistant director, before returning to acting in the 2020s.
Quan yelled "Oh my God," as he took to the stage amid a standing ovation, before mentioning his mum.
“My mom is 84 years old and she’s at home watching. Mom, I just won an Oscar!”
He continued: “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. Somehow I ended up on Hollywood’s biggest stage!
“They say stories like that only happen in the movies; I can’t believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream!”
Quan went on to thank his mum for “all the sacrifices”, his brother, David “for calling me to tell me to take care of myself every day – I love you, brother”. He dedicated his triumph to “the love of my life” – his wife, Echo, who “month after month, year after year for 20 years told me one day my time will come. Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there – please keep your dreams alive.
“Thank you so much for welcoming me back. I love you. Thank you!"
The BBC details Quan's remarkable journey here.
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