Ke Huy Quan Heartfelt Speech
It was the first time more than one artist of Asian heritage has won an Oscar in a single year, and Ke Huy Quan became the first performer from Vietnam to do so.
His career had stagnated for two long decades following his triumph as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, until he was cast as a devoted but unappreciated husband in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which is what got him into the Dolby Theater.
The Vietnamese-born Quan hailed his 84-year-old mother, who was at home watching, for the sacrifices she took to bring their family to the United States, putting in context the difficult journey some actors take to win cinema’s top accolade.
“My voyage began on a boat,” he said. “I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This, this is the American dream.”
