Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 Oscars on March 12 for his celebrated, fan-favorite work as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and his acceptance speech moved both the crowd and the presenters to tears. “My mother is 84 years old and is at home watching,” he began his tearful remarks. “I just won an Oscar, Mama!”
Ariana DeBose, who presented the award alongside Troy Kotsur, burst into tears as she read Quan’s name — and that was only the beginning. Quan received a standing ovation, and the camera cut to numerous tearful well-wishers, including Quan’s Everything Everywhere All at Once co-stars and Steven Spielberg, who directed Quan’s debut film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in 1984.
“My adventure began on a boat,” Quan explained. “I was in a refugee camp for a year. And somehow I ended up on the largest platform in Hollywood. Stories like these, they say, only happen in movies. It’s unbelievable that this is happening to me. This is what the American dream is all about.”
Quan thanked many people, including his brother David and Goonies co-star Jeff Cohen, whom he called a “brother for life.” He also thanked his mother for “the sacrifices she made to bring me here.”
“I owe everything to my life’s love,” Quan continued. “My wife, Echo, who informed me for 20 years, month after month, year after year, that one day my time would come
Quan stated that he hadn’t always believed in himself. “Dreams are something in which you must believe; “I was almost done with mine,” he said. “To everyone out there, keep your dreams alive. Thank you so much for having me back. “I adore you.”
Quan’s performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once (as well as a minor part in Discovering ‘Ohana in 2021) marked his comeback to acting after nearly two decades. According to People, he stood down due to a lack of jobs. “That was difficult,” he said. “I waited for the phone to ring, which it rarely did.”
But, Quan’s enthusiasm was revived in 2018 after he viewed Crazy Rich Asians. “I was OK working behind the camera, but I experienced major FOMO,” he stated. “I wanted to be up there with my Asian colleagues!”
Since his highly praised role as Waymond, Quan has been cast in a number of buzzy projects, such as Loki Season 2 and The Electric State, a sci-fi adventure thriller from Anthony and Joe Russo.
