Ke Huy Quan brings perseverance and charisma to Chapman Master Class
On Feb. 22, Academy Award nominee Ke Huy Quan joined an audience of Chapman students for a Master Class moderated by Scott Feinberg, which was followed by a screening of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Photo courtesy of Meg Hipp
It can be a daunting task to start your acting career starring alongside Harrison Ford at the peak of his stardom with Steven Spielberg behind the camera. Expectations are high, and it’s reasonable to assume anybody would be starstruck surrounded by Hollywood’s top talent.
Thankfully that wasn’t a problem for actor Ke Huy Quan because, at 12 years old, he had no idea who any of these people were when he donned Shortround’s signature Yankee cap in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" in 1984.
“I had never seen “E.T.”, “Jaws” or “Star Wars,” so I didn’t know who they were,” Quan said. “In fact, I finished the whole movie without knowing who they were. There was one afternoon… Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher came to visit, so this entire afternoon I was playing with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia and had no idea... It’s been almost four decades and I still look back on this experience with nothing but fond memories. We were just this family that worked together making this movie for five months that I didn’t know was a sequel to one of the biggest movies of all time.”
An audio recording of the Master Class will be available on the Awards Chatter podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Photo courtesy of Meg Hipp
On Feb. 22, Quan joined an audience of Chapman students for a Master Class to discuss being thrusted into the spotlight as a child, his time as a journeyman throughout Hollywood and his recent Oscar nomination for the role of Waymond in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The Master Class was moderated by Executive Editor of Awards at The Hollywood Reporter and trustee professor Scott Feinberg.
Despite following up his performance as Shortround with another classic — Data in “The Goonies” — Quan struggled to find consistent work as an actor. Following “The Goonies,” Quan would make his way to television, featuring in “Nothing is Easy” and “Head of the Class.” However, when he grew out of child roles and faced the barriers placed on Asian actors, the auditions dried up and insecurities set in. He started going by the name Jonathan Ke Quan in hopes that would increase his chances for roles.
But even when Quan went to pursue other endeavors, he couldn’t shake his desire to act.
“When you love something so deeply, it never goes away,” Quan said. “No matter how much we try, it will always stay with you. If my story has taught anybody anything, it’s that you just have to believe in yourself and stick with it no matter how tough it gets. If you wait long enough, things will work out. Dreams do come true.”
Quan graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 1999 and began working under director and action choreographer Corey Yuen as an assistant fight choreographer for the Statue of Liberty fight sequence in “X-Men.” He would later join Wong Kar Wai’s production company Jet Tone and serve as an assistant director on “2046.” Here, Quan would meet his future wife Echo Quan. He credited her as the reason he was able to play Waymond thanks to her unwavering support.
When Quan saw “Crazy Rich Asians” in 2018, he felt inspired enough to make the leap back into acting. The film — which features his “Everything Everyone All At Once” co-star Michelle Yeoh — proved to Quan that Asian actors could be at the forefront of a successful film and made him believe that there was still a space for him in the industry.
Senior screenwriting major Grant Keller was called on stage and take a picture with Quan after Feinberg announced to the audience that Keller had been waiting in line since 8 a.m. Photo courtesy of Grant Keller
“It was there that I felt, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be great if I went up on the screen with them?’” Quan said. “That was the first time that that voice came back louder than before. The second time I saw (“Crazy Rich Asians”), I was envisioning myself in all these different roles I could play and that voice would come back even louder and I would push it away. It was so loud in my head. I couldn’t ignore it any longer.”
Quan’s first audition would be for the role of Waymond in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Ironically, the directors behind the film, Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, were on the lookout for Quan after an Andrew Yang meme on Facebook reminded them of his existence. He performed the elevator scene in his first audition and didn’t hear back for two months. In his second audition, he performed Waymond’s "Be Kind" speech, which secured him the part.
After hiring a body coach and studying videos of squirrels in order to master Waymond’s meek mannerisms, Quan finished shooting after 38 days. The COVID-19 pandemic would soon hit and delay the film’s release, during which Quan continued to send out audition tapes for future roles. The film was first screened at South by Southwest Film Festival in 2022, where Quan was showered with applause for the first time since he was a child.
On Jan. 4, Quan would receive his Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. “Everything Everywhere All At Once" would accumulate 11 total nominations, the most for any film this year. Quan has already secured best supporting actor awards at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Gotham Awards and many more. According to his Instagram account, Quan is enjoying every second of his comeback with a plethora of star-studded selfies.
“I feel so grateful to be back,” Quan said. “Everytime I step on a set knowing what I have to go through to be here… I don’t want to ever forget those tough times because it made me stronger. It made me appreciate what I have today even more. When I attend these events, I don’t want to be cold and pretend like I don’t care. I want to go up to all these people that I’ve admired for so many years and tell them that I love them and ask for selfies.”
Senior screenwriting major Grant Keller was given the opportunity to be called on stage and take a picture with Quan after Feinberg announced to the audience that Keller had been waiting in line since eight in the morning. Keller, who has experience waiting all day in lines at Comic-Cons, told The Panther his patience felt validated when he got to meet Quan.
“I get starstruck for even minor celebrities, so getting to meet a movie star… I don’t think I got a word out when I was on stage,” Keller said. “It was so cool to see a movie that addresses why the word is so cynical, takes a moment to step back and be like, ‘What if we weren’t?’ I think (Quan’s) performance is what really sells that.”
Quan stayed after the conclusion of the Master Class in order to chat with students, sign autographs and take selfies. “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” screened for the audience shortly after.
An audio recording of the Master Class will be available on the Awards Chatter podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is available to stream on Showtime and for purchase on Apple TV.
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Master Classes are available to all Chapman students and alumni. Seats are available either on a first-come, first-served basis or by lottery system depending on the Master Class. Dates, times, upcoming guests and additional information can be found in the lobby of Marion Knott Studios or on the Dodge College instagram account.
