Indiana Jones Star Ke Huy Quan Was Afraid Harrison Ford Wouldn't Recognize Him When They Reunited After 38 Years
Ke Huy Quan recently returned to acting with his critically acclaimed performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The role has already secured him a Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Award, with many no doubt expecting more nominations — and hopefully wins — come 2023's award season.
Quan, best known for playing Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and Data in "The Goonies," retired from acting in the late '90s because of a lack of opportunities for Asian actors, he told Looper. He realized that acting was his passion in his early 20s, but the roles were few and far between, and the only calls he received were for parts that barely had lines or even a name. Quan decided to step away from his passion, graduating from film school and transitioning to behind-the-camera work. The massive success of 2018's "Crazy Rich Asians" showed Quan that his dreams could be a reality once again.
His return to acting was definitely the right choice. Following his portrayal of Waymond Wong in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," Quan has become a hot commodity in Hollywood. Disney was quick to scoop him up, signing him on for their upcoming Disney+ series "American Born Chinese" and giving him a role in the MCU on "Loki" Season 2.
For those two roles, Ke Huy Quan was at this year's D23 Expo, where he had the reunion of a lifetime with "Temple of Doom" star Harrison Ford.
Ke Huy Quan was so excited to reunite with Harrison Ford
Ke Huy Quan and Harrison Ford went viral last month after the "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" co-stars reunited at D23. Quan posted the reunion on his Instagram with the caption, "'I love you, Indy.' Indiana Jones and Short Round reunited after 38 years," and everyone's heart melted.
In an interview with The New York Times, Ke Huy Quan sat down with Kyle Buchanan and described the reunion. The article isn't out yet, but Buchanan posted an excerpt on his Twitter because it is just too good to keep a secret.
Quan recalls meeting Ford at D23, saying his assistant at the event informed him that the "Indiana Jones" star was nearby. Ford was there promoting "Indiana Jones 5," and he was speaking to co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge when Quan walked up to them. It had been 38 years since they had seen each other, and he thought, "Is he gonna recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid."
"And as I get closer, he turns and points his finger at me, and he has that classic, famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look," Quan went on. He recalled thinking Ford would mistake him for a fan and immediately brush him off, but the exact opposite happened. "But he looks and points at me and says, 'Are you Short Round?' Immediately, I was transported back to 1984, when I was a little kid, and I said, 'Yes, Indy.' And he said, 'Come here,' and gave me a big hug." According to Quan, Ford is an incredible person and one of the nicest people he's ever met.
It was a truly heart-warming moment, and we can't help but hope for an Indy and Short Round on-screen reunion.