Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan reveals that Steven Spielberg helped him to avoid a post-Oscar slump, and secure the first leading role of his career. Quan made his movie debut in Spielberg’s 1984 action-adventure sequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where he played the role of Short Round opposite Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw. A year later, he would work with the acclaimed director again, this time playing the part of Data in coming-of-age classic The Goonies. After struggling to find work in Hollywood as an adult, Quan quit acting in 2002, and moved behind the camera.

Following the success of John M. Chu’s 2018 romantic-comedy Crazy Rich Asians, Quan was inspired to return to acting. He first scored a supporting role in the Netflix movie Finding ‘Ohana, before securing a starring role in the absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere all At Once. A critical and commercial success, the film earned $143 million against a budget of $14-25 million, and saw Quan win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Following his win, Quan struggled to choose projects he was satisfied with, pᴀssing on an action-comedy three times, before finally taking his first leading role in it, following advice from Spielberg.

Love Hurts Marks Quan’s Debut Leading Role

The Star Is Redefining What An Action Hero Looks Like

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Quan reveals he quested starring in Love Hurts, which sees him in the leading role of a former ᴀssᴀssin turned successful realtor, whose past returns when his brother attempts to hunt him down. The movie is in a similar vein to successful films such as The Long Kiss Goodnight and Nobody, and Quan discussed how he was reluctant to take the part due to his conditioned beliefs about how an action hero should look. But he reveals that he changed his mind following a meeting with Spielberg, who convinced him to do it.

I actually pᴀssed [on Love Hurts] a couple of times, because when I read it, I thought, “Wait, this is not for me. Why are you asking me?” I was so confused. I thought it was written for somebody like Jason Statham, because I’ve been conditioned to think that when you have an action star, he needs to look like The Rock or Stallone or Schwarzenegger. I didn’t think anybody that looks like me could star in this role. Luckily, they didn’t give up on me. They came back for a third time.

I was at an event with Steven Spielberg and he was asking me, “Ke, how are you doing?” I said, “Steven, I’m not doing so well.” Because of all the love and support that I had gotten during that whole award season, I was so worried that whatever I was going to do next, I would disappoint. So I was having trouble picking my next project.

Steven was very generous. He said, “Ke, let’s have lunch.” And I told him about this project and kind of pitched it to him. He said, “Ke, it’s great. Do it.” I went in and they had these really elaborate slides with me as the main character. That’s when I started to see it a different way. “Oh, they’re trying to create a different kind of action hero. Not the type that we’ve seen for decades, but something new.”

Quan’s comments make sense, as there has been a skewed perception of what an action star should look like for the longest time. However, in recent years, the rise of female action stars, as well as unlikely male action heroes like Liam Neeson, has somewhat paved the way for movies like Love Hurts to work well. There is no reason Quan cannot be a success in his first leading role, and he could well find that the movie signals a career pivot to the action genre, much as it did for Neeson.

Our Verdict On The Future Of Quan’s Career As A Leading Man

A Move Toward Diversity Should Help Provide More Strong Roles For The Star

Love Hurts is projected to hit a $45 million domestic opening, and is definitely a movie that could be a success at the box office. There will be hope that it marks an exciting new chapter for Quan’s career, which will no doubt be buoyed by a greater move toward diversity in Hollywood. The struggles that actors of color face securing roles in the industry right now, are arguably less than when Quan was first prompted to quit acting, so the 53-year-old will be hoping to build a filmography or strong and varied roles the second time around.

There has also been a growing fan base behind Quan since Everything Everywhere All At Once that is sure to grow on his press tour for Love Hurts. Whether it be in an interview or an Oscar acceptance speech, Quan has always approached his return to the big screen with graтιтude and excitement. This kind of effusive humility is something considered rare for Hollywood stars, who are sometimes viewed as elitist and/or out of touch. Quan is not like this at all, and his personality is something audiences might respond well to as a budding star.

What Quan’s Career Says About Hollywood

Quan’s Career Reflects Hollywood Progress

If Quan is successful with Love Hurts, his comeback story is as much a tale of Hollywood’s progress as it is a personal narrative. Though he worked with a major director as a child actor, his parts were originally relegated to background roles rather than the lead part. There are still very few people of color in main action roles, as the space is currently dominated by white actors. This has been shifting through the growing popularity of actors like Dwayne Johnson, which may help to pave the way for Quan.

If Love Hurts is successful and Quan becomes more of a leading man after that, it can be emblematic of how far Hollywood has come. Progress still needs to be made, but the effect could also be compounding. If studios see the success of a Quan-led film, that could lead not just to more roles for him, but for other actors who may have been overlooked at various points within their career. With a less compeтιтive time of year coming in February, hopefully Love Hurts can gain enough momentum to be a winter box office success.

Source: Empire Magazine