Oscars 2023: JKe Huy Quan at the Oscars. (courtesy: Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Everything Everywhere All at Once fame Ke Huy Quan is on cloud nine as he won the Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role.
Quan took home the Oscar on Monday for his critically acclaimed role as a doting husband in Everything Everywhere All at Once. He became just the second performer of Asian descent to win Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
Quan, a child star who returned to the spotlight after nearly 40 years, became emotional while accepting the award, Variety reported.
In his acceptance speech, Quan said, "My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refuge camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage."
"They say stories like this only happen the movies. I cannot believe it's happening to me. This -- this is the American dream," he added.
For Quan, the victory marks an especially emotional coda to awards season. He rose to fame before his teenage years, playing Harrison Ford's sidekick in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and appearing in 1985's The Goonies. But Quan quit acting shortly after because he found there weren't many substantial film roles for Asian people.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once premiered at 2022's SXSW to critical and commercial acclaim. At the box office, the film became the rare pandemic-era indie smash with $100 million globally. It stands as A24's highest-grossing release of all time.