IN the biggest lock of the night, Ke Huy Quan took home the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Everything Everywhere All at Once. He plays Waymond Wong, the husband to Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh's character in the movie.
This marks a spectacular comeback for the former child star, who had roles in classic '80s films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and The Goonies.
He had trouble finding work, so he stepped away from acting for a couple decades – working as stunt coordinator – before being inpired to return to acting by the success of Crazy Rich Asians and the opening up of opportunities for Asian actors in Hollywood. He told CBS News that he cried watching it three separate times in a theater because he "wanted to be up there with them".
"Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine," Quan told the audience at the Academy Awards through tears of joy.
"To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive."
He is the first Asian actor to win the award since Cambodian actor Haing S. Ngor in 1984 for the film The Killing Fields.
The 51-year-old had won at every award ceremony leading up to tonight so the result was never in doubt. He has won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Critics Choice award and a Screen Actors Guild statuette, among other industry prizes.
Tonight beat out Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) and Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans).
Quan was born in Vietnam to parents of ethnic Chinese descent, and came to the United States in the late 1970s after they fled their home country. – The Vibes, March 13, 2023
