I can't believe this happened tbh!!!
Chatting to 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' star Ke Huy Quan
Last week I spoke to Ke Huy Quan via Zoom, the 80s movie icon known for his roles as the lovable tinkerer Data in ‘The Goonies’ and Harrison Ford’s sassy assistant in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’.
It was for this piece on ABC Everyday. Quan says he was content on working behind the camera and stepped away from acting because it was difficult to be an Asian actor in Hollywood - Below is the entire interview, lightly edited for clarity.
Michelle Yeoh described this film as something she’d been waiting for a long to give an opportunity to show what she’s capable of. Is that a sentiment that you share?
I remember reading the script for the first time and I remember it was a script that I wanted to read for many many years, it just didn’t exist before. So when the script came along I couldn’t believe it. And now also one of the reasons why I got back into acting was because Michelle Yeoh because of her movie ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. So things in Hollywood have changed a lot, I know there’s a lot of work to be done but I’m very optimistic to see where things are going.
I mean honestly this would have never have happened in the 80s or the 90s or even the 2000s so I’m very grateful to the Daniels (EEAAO’s directors) for writing such an amazing script and for making such an amazing movie, we’re all very proud of it.
How important to you are the themes of generational divide in families and the immigrant experience? Was this relatable to you?
I think all immigrant families can relate to this, again and that’s why it’s so beautiful about this movie is that it features a Chinese-American family, and it’s not about identity, but about you know intergenerational traumas and generational gaps and the difference between the next generations and the previous generations.
How many times have we had arguments with our parents saying “you have no idea what it’s like to be me” or “I don’t understand you” you know? It’s so cool to see this brought to the forefront and yet you know it features a Chinese family so it’s something that I’m really grateful for.
You’ve come back to acting after a 2 decade or so absence, what’s the feeling like? Did you think you’d be able to star in something like this again?
You know I thought about it for a long time, for many years I was content working behind the camera and the reason I stepped away from acting was because it was difficult to be an Asian actor in Hollywood. So I never thought I would get back into acting and while I was working behind the camera I noticed that something was brewing on the small and big screen. More and more Asian actors were being featured, in more and more prominent roles. It started with one and then two and then grew to an entire cast, made up of Asian actors. For example ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ and then we had ‘Shang Chi’ and ‘The Farewell’.
It’s been really incredible and I haven’t done it for so long and I remember the first time stepping back in front of the camera and there was a sense of familiarity, all those memories that I had as a kid came rushing back in. It was a great feeling to have and finally I felt you know this is where I belong, this is where I’m most happy.
How has Hollywood changed, in terms of leading roles for Asian actors over the course of your career?
We were never featured as the romantic lead, we were never featured as the super hero and now we’re finally getting our chance to do so. But honestly, there’s this great article written by Chris Karnadi for Slate, and he really highlights the issue that Hollywood has. Yes we Asian actors are getting roles that were exclusive to one group of people before but also what I’m really grateful for for the Daniels is that they’ve kind of changed the narrative, for what masculinity is about, especially with this character Waymond.
Cause he’s a man that truly believes in love and empathy and kindness and respect for one another. And I hope that after this movie, we can have a different definition of what masculinity is. It’s not measured by how big your fists are or how big your muscles are, but how much love and kindness you have in your heart.
We’ve done it with Henry Golding in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, but I don’t want that to be an anomaly. I hope that that is the norm, if my return to acting proved anything, it is how important it is, not just for Asians but for all groups of people, to be represented in entertainment. And it’s not until you see it, that you can visualize it, it’s you up there. So I hope that we have the opportunity to do anything we want. Certainly that’s why I got back into acting and I certainly want to play all different kinds of characters that I didn’t get the opportunity to before.
What’s next for you? Will you be in the next Indiana Jones?
First of all I don’t want to start any rumours, I’m not in it, but I’m very happy that they’re doing another one. I’ll be the first one in line to watch Indiana Jones 5 because I think nobody can be Indiana Jones except Harrison Ford and I’m so happy to see him don the fedora and crack that whip one more time.
What would you like to see change or become reality in the film industry?
Our industry is slowly changing, I know there’s a lot more work to be done and with all sustainable improvements, it happened gradually. But yeah, I wish they would open up the playground and allow more people to play in and also to give opportunities, to give voices to those who don’t have them. That’s what I hope, but of course it’s not like it’s not happening. It is happening, that’s why I don’t want to look in the past, I want to look in the future, and I’m very optimistic and I’m very hopeful about where things are going.
I heard you and Michelle like to party but I don’t know if that’s true?
We did, it was a lot of fun. Michelle was very generous, and almost every Friday she would buy like a feast and treat the entire cast and crew and so did Jamie Lee Curtis. We would just have fun and we had a small budget with a ton of stuff to shoot with limited time over 38 days, but there was not one day where it felt rushed, in fact every morning, the Daniels and our producer gathered the cast and crew together and we would do warm up exercises, we would dance to music and then we would start the day.
What’s your favourite scene in the film, or one that speaks to you a lot?
I have to say Waymond when he pleads everyone to stop fighting and to treat everyone with kindness because I think that’s what we need in the world. For the last couple of years, all of us, everybody has gone through so much and if we learn anything from the last two years it is we need to treat each other with love and respect and kindness. And I love that message from Waymond and that’s one of the most beautiful messages in this movie Everything Everywhere All at Once.
We’re all very proud of this movie, and I hope the audience will go and support it in the movie theatre, because it’s a movie that deserves to be experienced with your friends, with your family, with your community, and honestly, I hope the audience enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it and I’m really happy that they embraced my return to acting and that’s what I really want to say and I’m very grateful for that.
Thanks for reading!!
🐶 Pupdate 🐶
Warmest virtual hugs
frankie’s MILKSHAKE CLUB