Steven Spielberg runs a tight ship on his Christmas gift giving. Ke Huy Quan, who played Short Round in Steven Spielberg movie Indiana Jones an the Temple of Doom, has revealed he still gets a present every year from the esteemed director.
In a profile for The Guardian, Ke Huy states Spielberg has kept a watchful eye over the adventure movie star. “He gave me my first job and, so many years later, he has not forgotten me,” he states. “Every time I needed help, he’s always there.” Spielberg casting Ke Huy as Short Round wasn’t just meaningful for the actor, but for wider repsetation as well.
“Spielberg was the first person to put an Asian face in a Hollywood blockbuster. Short Round is funny, he’s courageous, he saves Indy’s ass.” Ke Huy says. “That was a rarity then. For many years after that, we were back to square one.”
After doing Temple off Doom, Ke Huy was part of The Goonies, alongside Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, and more. He still catches up with them once in a while too, showing that Spielberg rubs off people in the right way.
Ke Huy has enjoyed a resurgence thanks to science fiction movie Everything Everywhere All At Once, where he plays Waymond, the multiverse-travelling husband to Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn. The film has been a hit among critics and audiences alike, our own Emma-Jane Betts awarding it five stars in her Everything Everywhere All At Once review.
As he re-enters prominence in Hollywood, Ke Huy got to reunite with Ford. They shared a lovely picture together during an event where Ford was talking about Indiana Jones 5. So far it’s unknown if Ke Huy will return to that franchise, but he’s got fantasy series American Born Chinese coming to Disney Plus next year, also featuring Yeoh.