Ke Huy Quan for Oscar’s “Everywhere Everywhere,” Harrison Ford Reunion – Variety

Andrew Eccles for Variety

Ke Huy Quan was on a mission. He had just been named Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Waymond Wang, the laundromat’s goofy husband in Everything Everywhere at Once, and wanted to experience this moment with Steven Spielberg. Spielberg, you see, was the director’s choice for his breakout role in 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” when Quan was 12 years old.

So during a commercial break at the Oscars, Quan, 51, went to where Spielberg was sitting with his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, whom Quan hadn’t seen since they co-starred in “Temple of Doom” four decades ago. After hugging all around, Spielberg put his hands on Kwan’s shoulders and said, “You’re now an Academy Award-winning actor.”

None of them lost the depth of this statement, as Kwan’s Oscar win capped off one of the most distant comeback stories in Hollywood history. For decades, he’d been relegated to the edges of the movie industry, left without a job — and health insurance.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

It’s been less than 24 hours since Quan climbed the steps of the Dolby Theater and told the story of being an immigrant from Vietnam—the seventh of nine children—who, after much hard work, achieved the “American Dream.” And this morning, despite a marathon party night, his happy energy is infectious.

There was still a fundamental hesitation in Kwan’s voice. He is worried that he will wake up from this dream to find that his resurrection has evaporated. “I had a conversation with my agent,” he says. “I am very worried because this is just a one-time thing.”

Like many immigrants, Kwan’s parents wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer—anything that would provide economic stability. Instead, fate intervened when his younger brother attended an open casting call to play a short role, Indiana Jones’ sidekick. But there was just something about Quan that, at the age of 12, made the cast believe they’d found the perfect foil for cinema’s most famous archaeologist, and it was Quan, not his brother, who got the role. The following summer, he followed it up by playing Data, one of the misfits who hunts for treasure in Richard Donner’s The Goonies.

Then it’s over. For 30 years, Quan has suffered countless failed exams. He later attended USC film school and took odd jobs working as a fight choreographer on the movie ‘X-Men’ and developing projects for director Wong Kar Wai at his production company, Jet Tone Films. This is where he meets his wife, Eko, whom he considers the unsung hero of his recent success. Every month for the past 20 years, Echo has told her husband, “Believe me, your time will come.”

“At times, I would get frustrated with her,” Kwan says, tearing up as he recalled their conversations. “I told her, ‘Keep saying that, and it will never happen. “I couldn’t believe it. Twenty years is not a short time.”

There are no guarantees in Hollywood. But Quan makes the most of his role as an awards season darling. Three completed projects on the podium: two TV series, “American Born Chinese” and the MCU season 2 of “Loki” for Disney+, as well as the upcoming sci-fi movie “The Electric State” with Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt. As of today, there are no other offers on the table.

But this morning is for celebration. Kwan plans to visit his mother in Los Angeles to show her his statuette. Before he does, he sits down to discuss the journey that got him to the Academy Awards.

How do you feel?

I’m still treating it. I didn’t sleep much last night – I think it was only an hour. When I woke up, I took a minute or two to wonder if this was a dream. But I’ve been doing it a lot lately, because a lot of things have happened in the last year and it seems surreal.

When you accepted the Oscar, you talked about being a refugee and living in a camp. How did you end up in America?

I was just an ordinary kid in Vietnam in 1978, and suddenly my parents decided to flee the country. I didn’t understand what was happening. All I knew was that I had been separated from my mother, my little brother, and two of my sisters. It was in the middle of the night when my father, five of my brothers and I escaped in a boat. We arrived in Hong Kong, and I was in a refugee camp surrounded by guards and police officers for a whole year until we were granted political asylum. Then I got on a plane and landed first in Los Angeles. This was in 1979.

I didn’t have the maturity to deal with the sacrifices my parents made so that we could have a better future. And as fate would have it, four years later, I got a job at Indiana Jones, which changed my life. I always wanted to thank my parents for what they did, but I grew up in a family where we didn’t share those kind of feelings for each other. Then last night I did it publicly. I wanted the world to know what my parents meant to me. Also, our movie “Everything is Everywhere at the Same Time” is about this immigrant family. This is why the story resonated with me so much.

Not only did she win, but Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress, and Michelle Yeoh made history by becoming the first Asian actress to win a Leading Actress Oscar.

Right before that happened, I looked at Michelle, and I knew she was very nervous. And we were holding hands: Jamie was closer to her, Michelle held Jamie’s hand, Jamie held my hand, and I held Stephanie Hsu’s hand. We were just hoping and praying that her name would be called. And then history was made.

Does it make you optimistic about the future in terms of Asian representation?

Forget about 30, 40 years ago – even 10 years ago. Look where we are now: the landscape looks very different. We have a seat at the table. Our voices are heard our faces are seen, and it feels great.

There was a mini “Indiana Jones” reunion on stage last night. Harrison Ford was the one to open the envelope and announce that Everything, Everywhere, at Once won Best Picture. What was that like?

When he opened that envelope and read the address, it made our Best Picture win even more special. And when I ran out onto the stage, I pointed at him and he pointed at me and I hugged him. I just couldn’t help myself. I just want to shower this guy with all my love. I gave Harrison Ford a big kiss on the cheek.

How was your first day on set?

I could hear Stephen give me directions, and every time I did something he liked, he’d give me a great nod.

Do you remember watching “Temple of Doom” for the first time?

We saw him at the Mann Chinese Theatre. It was the first time I saw myself on the big screen. Watching the movie with the audience and hearing them laugh and clap, it was an amazing feeling. I wanted to repeat it over and over again.

She has made two consecutive films with Steven Spielberg – ‘Temple of Doom’ and ‘The Goonies’. Do you think you’ll reprise your role in “The Last Crusade”?

I secretly wish. But honestly, Stephen has given me so much — not one movie, but two. And they were the first to put an Asian face in a major Hollywood movie.

After those movies, she struggled to find roles. What happened?

I have learned never to blame anyone. If something isn’t going the way you want it to, it’s either because you didn’t work hard enough, you weren’t good enough or you didn’t try hard enough. So when I couldn’t get a job, I blamed myself: I thought I wasn’t tall enough, not good-looking enough, or not a good enough actor because I wasn’t classically trained. I never blamed anyone – to this day.

We talk about Asian representation, but I don’t like looking back and saying, “Oh my God, how bad that was!” I prefer to focus on the present and move forward. Much has changed.

How is your relationship with your parents?

My father passed away in 2001, but I had a great relationship with my parents. I was a little kid and had all these amazing opportunities with ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Goonies’; I could see the joy and pride my father felt. And then, when those opportunities dried up, I could see they wanted something different for me, because they felt I wasn’t happy. My mom is very superstitious, so she used to tell me to go see fortune tellers. They were Buddhists, so I would see my mom praying to Buddha to get me a job. That’s why it was so painful for me – because there was nothing I could do to get someone to put me in a movie or make me a big role. And that’s one of the things I hated about our business.

This is a big return for you, but you have no existing projects. Do you worry that despite the success of “everything everywhere at once” you might never get represented again?

I attended an event recently and sat next to Cate Blanchett. I told her that I didn’t know what to do next, but that I felt I had a responsibility to do something good, and that I didn’t want to disappoint all the people who supported me. And she said, “Just go with your heart and be irresponsible: don’t worry about what other people think. Choose something you believe in, choose something you love, and things will work out.”

Location: Mandarin Oriental Residences, Beverly Hills; Grooming: Anissa Salazar; Chloe Takayanagi/The Wall Group; Giorgio Armani measure; Brooch: Fred Leighton; Cufflinks: David Yurman; Watch: Omega. Spectacles: Oliver Peoples