Ke Huy Quan says he ‘blamed’ himself for not landing roles after Indiana Jones success
‘I never blamed anybody – even to this day,’ actor said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ke Huy Quan has opened up about his struggle to find roles following his childhood success in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies.
The Vietnamese-American actor landed his first on-screen credit in the first outing of the Harrison Ford-led franchise in 1984. Shortly after, he appeared in the late director Richard Donner’s 1985 adventure classic.
In the decades proceeding, Quan was forced into a career hiatus because of the lack of roles for Asian actors.
Now 51, the Everything Everywhere All at Once star won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday (12 March).
While speaking to Variety in a new interview about his “surreal” win and Hollywood comeback, Quan further reflected upon the harder years when he “couldn’t get a job”.
“I was taught never to blame anybody. If something doesn’t go the way you want, it’s either because you didn’t work hard enough, you weren’t good enough or you didn’t try hard enough,” he said.
“So when I couldn’t get a job, I blamed myself: I thought I wasn’t tall enough, I wasn’t good-looking enough, or I wasn’t a good enough actor because I wasn’t classically trained.
“I never blamed anybody – even to this day,” Quan added.
His win, along with his EEAAO co-star Michelle Yeoh’s historical Best Actress triumph, are both being celebrated for showing that Asian-led films can be a hit with audiences and critics alike.
“Look where we are now: The landscape looks so different. We have a seat at the table. Our voices are being heard. Our faces are being seen,” Quan said.
He stipulated: “I don’t want to look at the past and say, ‘Oh, my God, how bad it was!’
“I’d rather focus on the present and moving forward. A lot has changed.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments