Everything Everywhere All At Once Was A Script Ke Huy Quan Had Been Waiting Years To Find
Before his Academy Award-winning performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," Ke Huy Quan had found himself in a 20-year acting hiatus. The Vietnam-born, Chinese-American actor is best known for starring as Short Round in 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" at just 12 years old and for playing Data in 1985's "The Goonies." As Quan grew up, he took on roles in international productions; however, the opportunities for Asian talent in Hollywood specifically continued to get slimmer.
In 2002, Quan left acting behind — but despite popular belief, he never once gave up on his passion for filmmaking and storytelling for a second. In fact, Quan would find himself trying out a variety of roles behind the camera. After graduating from USC, Quan was briefly mentored by action choreographer and director Corey Yuen, and even helped choreograph a significant fight sequence in the original "X-Men" film. The retired actor spent a large phase of his career as an assistant director, and even became an apprentice to auteur Wong Kar-wai on his film, "2046."
By the end of his 20-year hiatus, Quan had truly done a little bit of everything, everywhere. But, while these accomplishments are certainly special in their own right, they didn't replace the thrill of his true passion of acting in front of the camera. Last month, Quan opened up to NPR about this particular stage of his career, saying he "spent a long time lying to myself that acting isn't fun anymore."
Suddenly, in the aftermath of "Crazy Rich Asians" and that film's massive financial success, there was an uptick of Asian-led projects and screenplays being greenlit. Funnily enough, one of the very first screenplays Quan picked up would soon change the trajectory of his career.
'I felt like I was back where I needed to be'
"When I read the script for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion, because it was a script that I wanted to read for many, many years," Quan said. "It was a role that I thought was written for me, and I was just so excited."
Written and directed by duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" features Quan in the role of Waymond, the sweet and sensitive husband to Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) and father of Joy (Stephanie Hsu). The film's premise is simple yet structurally complex, using the vast, infinite space of the multiverse to explore the anxieties and personal relationships within a Chinese immigrant family unit. It dominated the Oscars for a reason: It's a true crowd-pleaser. While it is a specific Asian-American tale, it's not restricted by genre — it's a martial arts action flick and a zany comedy that is smashed into a family drama.
Quan's portrayal of Waymond is deserving of its unanimous praise. In "Everything Everywhere," he's able to play the action hero, the Tony Leung-esque romantic lead, and a vulnerable man on the brink of divorce. It's hard enough to find dignified roles as an Asian-American actor in Hollywood, but it's even rarer to find roles with this amount of depth and sophistication.
"I felt whatever that was missing all those years," Quan said. "All of a sudden I felt like I was back where I needed to be."
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" felt like a celebration of Michelle Yeoh's career, talent, and celebrity persona. That's also applicable to Quan and his character of Waymond. Even when facing apocalyptic darkness, he remains positive, passionate, and connected to his playful, childhood self. Yeoh may be the movie's fist, but Quan is its beating heart.