Ke Huy Quan reveals Harrison Ford’s ‘big impact’ on his life but credits wife for comeback

NEW YORK – It’s fitting that Ke Huy Quan’s name is printed on his memoir in sunshine yellow.

When the “Goonies” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” actor strolls into the USA TODAY studio, he is as joyful as he appears in a now-viral video reuniting with Harrison Ford or his signature wide-grinned selfies.

It’s a joy that is in many ways defiant. Just four years after fleeing Vietnam, living in a refugee camp and finally being reunited with his family in the US, Quan became a child actor in “Indiana and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies.” But as he grew up, acting jobs dwindled. He didn’t land a role for almost two decades. In 2022, he returned to the screen in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Then 51, his Oscar win for best supporting actor was hailed as a triumphant comeback and the emotional acceptance speech he gave exclaiming "this is the American Dream" is considered one of the most inspiring in Academy Award's history.

Now, he’s telling the whole story in “Never Say Die” (out Sept. 15 from Grand Central Publishing).

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Question: You write in the acknowledgments…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/entertainment/