Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
star Ke Huy Quan recalls being scared during the mine cart sequence, leading Harrison Ford to thoughtfully put the young actor’s mind at ease. Released in 1984 and serving as Steven Spielberg’s second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise after 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, the sequel features Ford’s Indy in India, facing off against a dangerous cult. Indy is joined on his second outing by Quan’s Short Round and Kate Capshaw’s Willie Scott, with the trio ultimately escaping the cult after a dangerous chase through a vast underground mine.
During a recent interview with EW in which he breaks down his favorite action sequences, Quan reveals that one specific portion of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom‘s cart chase caused him particular fear at the time. The scene in question featured Short Round held between two carts over lava far below, and Quan recalls that he actually started to cry at one point. Ford then noticed this and took a moment to offer his younger costar some reᴀssuring words. Check out Quan’s recollection of events below:
“When we sH๏τ this sequence, I was so scared. And I cried. I remember Harrison Ford kneeling down in front of me and asking me if I was okay. He said, and I’ll never forget this, ‘Ke, I want you to remember, I will never hurt you.’ When he said that, oh my gosh, it just made me love him so much more. It was incredible. Here is Indiana Jones telling me that he’s gonna take care of me.”
What Quan’s Story Means For Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom
Indy’s Second Outing Was Divisive
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a mᴀssive success, and, after the success of Star Wars in 1977, it affirmed Ford’s status as one of Hollywood’s greatest action heroes. Temple of Doom, however, was not as well-received, and its turn towards darker themes didn’t sit well with all audiences. Years later, Spielberg expressed regret about Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, saying that it was “too dark, too subterranean, and much too horrific.”
Quan’s story suggests that even on set the second Indiana Jones movie got a little too dark and intense at times. Quan was only about 12 years old during the production of Temple of Doom, and it marked his first ever movie role. Ford’s consoling evidently worked because Quan would continue to work in Hollywood, appearing in The Goonies in 1985, in addition to a handful of other movies in the years that followed, before embarking on a successful career as a stunt coordinator and ᴀssistant director.
Quan’s major comeback as an actor after a lengthy acting hiatus came in 2022 with the release of the acclaimed Everything Everywhere All At Once, a movie that won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Our Take On Quan’s Temple Of Doom Story
Ford’s Indy Was A Special Kind Of Action Hero
Quan’s story about filming Temple of Doom‘s cart chase speaks to one key reason why the Indiana Jones movies have been so successful. Spielberg’s excellent direction and his staging of action set pieces is certainly a major reason, but Ford’s hero is also truly special. The ’80s was the era of Arnold Schwarzenegger-type heroes, big muscular and seemingly unstoppable, but Ford’s Indy is just a regular guy who gets knocked down and keeps getting back up.
Indy’s vulnerability is part of his enduring appeal, and he seems like a compᴀssionate guy beneath the charm, in addition to knowing how to fight and shoot. Ford consoling Quan during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom speaks to how crucial Ford himself was for conveying these subtler aspects of the character.
Source: EW
