Ke Huy Quan has revealed that he felt his acting career was going nowhere after he finished filming his first major American movie in nearly 40 years.
The 51-year-old actor is on top of the world. He won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes for his performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once in January, and on Sunday (March 12) night, he triumphed in the same category at the 2023 Oscars.
All this success and recognition must be an overwhelming feeling for Quan who felt shut out from Hollywood after starring as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies 38 years ago.
In an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last month, he said that the industry continued to overlook him after he wrapped filming on the critically acclaimed movie - which won seven trophies at the Academy awards.
Check out what Quan had to say below:The production on Everything Everywhere All at Once concluded in March 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic caused chaos worldwide, but Quan - who was born in Vietnam and spent a year in a refugee camp - disclosed that all of his auditions throughout lockdown were unsuccessful.
"I was at home like everybody else trying to stay safe, and I was auditioning left and right, sending self-tapes. What was interesting was I couldn't get a single job. Not one callback. Nobody wanted me," he said.
The film didn't arrive in theaters until two years later, so the Indiana Jones star had to wait a while for the world to see his performance. He said that fighting for roles but being snubbed at every turn brought back the same feelings he experienced as a child actor.
"I was so worried because I was experiencing everything I experienced as a kid when I was auditioning and I couldn't get a job. That's why I stepped away," Quan recalled.
He jokingly said that when you work with stellar filmmakers and actors - such as Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford - so early in your career, "you can't go anywhere but downhill from there."
He also sweetly shared that the 76-year-old Schindler's List director has sent Christmas presents to him for 38 years.
The days of unemployment are long gone for the actor who announced to Colbert that he will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Loki season two.
He graciously explained to the 58-year-old host how appreciative he is with the way his career has panned out and that he can now look forward to the future.
"Honestly, things are so different for me now than they were back then. I am really blessed and I feel very, very grateful. Honestly, ever since I got back into acting this has been such an emotional journey I have cried so much, my wife is so sick of me crying," he said.
"I thought everybody had forgotten me, but since the movie came out, there's been so much positivity and so much kindness, so thank you so much," he added.
In case you missed his emotional speech at the Oscars, the actor said that his wife, Echo Quan, would tell him "every day" that his time was coming, and not to give up on himself.
"Dreams are something you have to believe in," he said in his speech.
Congrats on all your success, Quan!