Ke Huy Quan is on cloud nine after getting Oscar nod for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'

Ke Huy Quan is on cloud nine after he heard his name read as an Academy Award nominee for his performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.

“This is one of the happiest mornings I’ve ever had!” exclaimed Quan.

Few Oscar nominees this year have had a more roundabout way to reaching the Academy Awards than the 51-year-old Quan. After starring as a child in two of the most beloved films of the 1980s, Short Round in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ and Data in ‘The Goonies’, Quan struggled to find work in an industry where opportunities for Asian-American actors were few and far between. He eventually went to film school, began working beyond the camera and abandoned his hopes of acting again.

Now, thanks to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s existential romp, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ led all films with 11 nominations, including best picture and best actress for Michelle Yeoh, Quan is living a dream he had given up on. Speaking by phone from Los Angeles, Quan, widely considered the frontrunner to win best-supporting actor at the March 12 Oscars, reflected on his once-unfathomable Oscar moment.

“It feels surreal. I cannot believe this is happening. When I heard the nomination, I jumped up and screamed so loud. I felt exactly how I felt when my agent called to tell me I got the part of Waymond. This is something that I have dreamed of for more than 30 years. I would watch the Oscars every year, religiously. I would always envision myself on the red carpet, in that room, being nominated and the anticipation of them reading it, all of that,” he said.

He added, “It just seemed so farfetched. Especially when I had to step away from acting for so many years, that dream seemed like it was dead. I didn’t even dare to think of that anymore because I wasn’t an actor anymore. My whole thing was just that I wanted a job. I just wanted to have a steady job where I could act again. So, getting an Oscar nomination is so beyond my imagination.”