Ke Huy Quan, a former child celebrity who took a 20-year break from the industry, and Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis were recognized on Sunday for their work in the unconventional, multidimensional adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
In front of the biggest stars in entertainment, a sobbing Quan, a Vietnam-born actor, kissed his gold Oscar statuette as he held it on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
"My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. Somehow I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage," Quan said.
Quan appeared as a child actor in "The Goonies" in 1985 and a "Indiana Jones" film from 1984. The 51-year-old actor claimed he had given up performing for years because there weren't many opportunities for Asian actors in mainstream media.
They claim that tales like this only occur in films, he continued. "It's occurring to me, and I can't believe it. The American ideal is this.
He's been the toast of awards season, earning statues at the Golden Globe, Critics' Choice, and SAG Awards and getting his first Oscar nod. The fact that he has been able to travel the awards tour with Steven Spielberg, who collaborated with Quan on "Indiana Jones" and is up for best director for the semi-autobiographical drama "The Fabelmans," is a touching coincidence.
Later on in the evening, Quan was able to embrace Ford, who gave the award for "Everything Everywhere All at Once's" best film.
“Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine,” he said while fighting back tears. “To all of you out there, please keep your dream alive.”
Before exiting the stage, Quan expressed his gratitude to the Academy and Hollywood. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much for welcoming me back.”
Along with Barry Keoghan, Brendan Gleeson, Judd Hirsch, and Bryan Tyree Henry, Quan was nominated for "The Banshees of Inisherin," "The Fabelmans," and "Causeway," respectively.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once," which was directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, had its world debut at SXSW in 2022 to both critical and commercial acclaim. With $100 million worldwide, the movie became a rare indie smash from the pandemic period. It is currently A24's all-time top-grossing broadcast.
It's no minor achievement that the film has managed to not only dominate the Oscar conversation for a full year. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" became just the fifth movie in history to win all four of the main guild awards during its record-breaking awards season. (DGA, PGA, SAG, and WGA).
It received the most Academy Award nominations this year with 11, including best picture, best director nominations for the Daniels, best supporting actor nominations for Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis, and best actress nominations for Michelle Yeoh. Best Picture and six other awards were earned by it.
Source: Asian.Nikkei.com, Variety.com
