“Dreams do come true”: ‘Everything Everywhere’ star Ke Huy Quan on “incredible” Oscar nominations

“Dreams do come true”: ‘Everything Everywhere’ star Ke Huy Quan on “incredible” Oscar nominations
Elevation Pictures/Allyson Riggs

Former child star Ke Huy Quan says he’s “ecstatic” about the pack-leading 11 Oscar nominations for Everything Everywhere All at Once, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for his own performance.

The actor called into Good Morning America Tuesday to revel in the good news, explaining he and the other members of his “EEAAO family” were watching the nominations together via Zoom.

He called the movie’s showing at the nominations unexpected, explaining, “… it was just this little movie that we shot for 38 days in Simi Valley. So to get this kind of recognition with 11 nominations … is absolutely incredible. None of us could have ever imagined this would happen. And yet here we are. So it’s a wonderful feeling. And I’m so, so happy [for] our family.”

Quan starred in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and The Goonies when he was a kid, but transitioned to work behind the camera when acting opportunities dried up. He said, “When I stepped away … all the dreams that I had of, you know, imagining one day of walking down the red carpet at the Oscars, I mean, those dreams dissipated, and they were so distant that I didn’t think they would ever come back. And so for me to be here today, to be nominated, it is so surreal. It’s an incredible feeling, honestly. And it goes to show that … dreams do come true, no matter how long you take.”

One big bonus of going to the big show? Reuniting with his Fabelmans-nominated Indiana Jones director, Steven Spielberg, like he did at the Golden Globes. “I just love that man so much,” Quan says. “So it’ll be incredible to see him and to give him a big hug at the biggest award show in the world!”

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