‘I’m going to call my agent!’ Ke Huy Quan from Everything Everywhere All At Once says he hopes his Oscar win will lead to new work

Ke Huy Quan has an Oscar statue on his mantle and now he is hoping the success of winning will result in a new job soon.

The 51-year-old star, who wept as he accepted the Best Supporting Actor award for his comeback role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, shared what winning the honor meant to him with reporters backstage following his emotional acceptance speech. 

‘Can you believe I’m holding this?’ he asked the assembled group in a video posted by Variety. ‘This is so surreal. Wow.’

When asked about his plans for the future, the actor said, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing next.

‘All I know is first thing tomorrow, I’m going to call my agent!’

The actor who took a long break from acting after finding it difficult to find jobs, earned a film degree from the University of Southern California and worked behind the scenes as a stunt director and assistant director.

He decided to get back into acting after seeing the success of the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians.

He landed the role of Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Shooting on the film was completed between January and March 2020. 

After the pandemic shutdown, jobs dried up for Quan, and he lost his health insurance. 

‘I remember when I was struggling, I would call my agent,’ the Nothing is Easy star – who looked dapper in a black tuxedo and Oliver Peoples glasses – recalled. 

‘I tried not to bother him too much, but I would call him every three months or every six months, and I would say, “Hey, is there anything for me?”‘ 

‘And the answer was always the same, ‘he explained, ‘”I’m so sorry. There’s nothing out there, but I’ll continue to look.” But hopefully, when I call my agent tomorrow, he will have a different answer!’

Everything Everywhere All The Time has earned some $108 million worldwide and  scored a total of seven Oscars, including Picture of the Year and acting awards for Michelle Yeoh, 60, and Jamie Lee Curtis, 64. 

Best Supporting Actor:  The 51-year-old actor won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in the action comedy Everything Everywhere All At Once

Seven Oscars: The film won a total of seven Oscars including a Best Supporting Actress award for Jamie Lee Curtis, 64, and a Best Actress statue for Michelle Yeoh, 60 

Box office: The film has earned some $108 million globally 

The popularity of the film has helped him land other jobs. 

Quan has already completed work on season two of the Disney+ hit Loki, reunited with Michelle Yeoh on the upcoming TV show American Born Chinese. 

The former child star also spoke about being able to use his given name as an adult.

As a young actor in Encino Man with fellow Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, 54, he went by Jonathan Ke Huy Quan.

‘When I started as a kid, It was my birth name Ke Huy Quan.’

New answer: Quan spoke about losing his health insurance during the pandemic and his agent had no work for him. ‘Hopefully, when I call my agent tomorrow, he will have a different answer!’

‘I remember when it got really tough my manager told me that “maybe it would be easier if you were to have an American sounding name,” and I was so desperate for a job that I would do anything.’

Looking back at that time in his life, the actor said it was ‘insane’ to use another name, but ‘when I decided to get back into acting, which was three years ago, the first thing I wanted to do was to go back to my birth name.’

He also gave a shout out to his Goonies co-stars, including Jeff Cohen who is now his entertainment lawyer, saying they had all contacted him prior to the Academy Awards ceremony. 

‘We are always bonded. We’re family forever. Goonies never say die!’ 

Given name: Quan spoke about being able to go by his given name professionally, after adding Jonathan to it as a child to attract more work. ‘When I decided to get back into acting, which was three years ago, the first thing I wanted to do was to go back to my birth given name’