Ke Huy Quan praises Steven Spielberg for being a trailblazer in inclusivity in Hollywood. Photo: Handout
In a new interview with British The Guardian, actor Ke Huy Quan revealed a heartwarming story about his Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg.
Quan, 51, said that the 75-year-old director still sends him a gift every Christmas for the last 38 years.
Spielberg offered a 13-year-old Quan his first movie role in the 1984 action adventure Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, where he starred as Short Round opposite Harrison Ford.
“He gave me my first job and, so many years later, he has not forgotten me. Every time I needed help, he’s always there,” the star of Everything Everywhere All At Once told The Guardian.
He went on to praise the director for being a trailblazer in inclusivity in Hollywood when it wasn't fashionable to do so.
"Spielberg was the first person to put an Asian face in a Hollywood blockbuster ... That was a rarity then. For many years after that, we were back to square one."
Steven Spielberg offered the then 13-year-old Ke Huy Quan his first movie role in the 1984 action adventure 'Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom'. Photo: Filepic
Spielberg also offered Quan a role in 1985's The Goonies, which he produced.
While Quan was the only child star in Indiana Jones, it was a different case in The Goonies where his co-stars were several other child actors such as Sean Astin, Corey Feldman and Jeff Cohen.
“On Indiana Jones I was the only kid, so I got all of the love and attention. On The Goonies, I was one of seven, so I was constantly fighting for attention.
"But it was something that was very familiar to me – my parents had nine kids. It was a lot of fun, especially those amazing sets.
"Going to work was like going to the playground,” he said, adding that he has kept in touch with some of his Goonies co-stars, including Cohen who is now his entertainment lawyer.
