'It’s so surreal': Ke Huy Quan opens up about first Oscar nod for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Michelle Yeoh starring movie, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' has a fit name as the movie led the nomination list of the 95th Academy awards with 11 nods. However, this isn't about the 'Crazy Rich Asians' actress rather it is about the one who supported her through out the film, Ke Huy Quan. Among those nominated for the film is Quan, who's up for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Waymond Wang, husband to Michelle Yeoh's Evelyn Wang.
Quan's journey to the Academy Awards has been a long one which is almost like a movie story itself. He started as a child actor in his early roles as Short Round in 1984's 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' and Data in 1985's 'The Goonies'. Later, he stepped away for decades from acting up until recently when Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert cast him in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' which changed his world.
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In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter about the nomination, Quan addressed how he never thought he'd be attending the Academy Awards, and filled with happiness, he describes the day as an "incredible day."
"When I heard my name announced, I jumped and I screamed so loud. It was very similar to the day when I got that call from my agent and they told me that I get to play the role of Waymond. I just cannot believe it. For so many years, I’ve always loved watching the Oscars. Every year, I would imagine what it’s like to walk down the red carpet, to be in that room, to get nominated. It’s a dream that only existed in my imagination for the longest time. When I had to step away, that dream dissipated. It was so far away that I didn’t think one day it would make its way back. And it did. And it happened today. I never thought that my name would have the prefix 'Oscar-nominated actor.' What an incredible day this is."
He further says the group would cheer every single time a new nomination was announced, and it didn't seem to stop until there were 11 that had been named. That's more than any other film at the Oscars, and Quan feels "happy" and "grateful" for the entire family.
"It’s so surreal. It makes me think back to the very first day when we started shooting. It was just a bunch of people who believed in the script, who believed in the Daniels. We got together and we had the best of time for 38 days in Simi Valley. We had no clue whether the audience would respond to it because it’s so crazy. It’s so wild. It’s so out of the box. Yet, week after week, the audience came out, supported it, talked about it. The buzz got bigger and bigger. And we cannot believe a year after our movie has came out that that we are now leading with 11 Oscar nominations. What an incredible journey this is."
The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC.
