'Everything Everywhere All At Once's Ke Huy Quan Reveals Why He Quit Acting for 20 Years

Ke Huy Quan is back on the big screen in Everything Everywhere All At Once, after a 20 year hiatus from acting.

If the 51-year-old actor looks familiar, that’s because you probably recognize him from The Goonies and even Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

“Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would end up being an actor,” Ke Huy shared with People in their latest issue. “But I fell in love with it. That movie changed my life and my entire family’s life.”

Click inside to see why Ke Huy took a break from acting in the first place…

Ke Huy explained that after landing his first two major auditions for movies - Indiana Jones and The Goonies – things fizzled out after that.

“[It made me think] that I was going to have this amazing career,” he shared, before adding that there were few parts for Asian actors at that time.

Ke Huy says “It was tough. I was waiting for the phone to ring, and it rarely did.”

Then, he decided in the early 2000s, he made the “very difficult decision” to step away from acting, and head to film school at USC. After his time there, he turned his attention behind the scenes, becoming a successful assistant director and stunt coordinator.

Now, Ke Huy is back on screen, and he says he was inspired after watching Crazy Rich Asians.

“I was happy working behind the camera but I had serious FOMO,” he shared. “I wanted to be up there with my fellow Asian actors!”

Ke Huy also opened up about his new movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once, where he stars opposite Michelle Yeoh.

“When I read the script I thought it was written for me because they are me. I understood every single one of them,” he says of Waymond Wang, a loving husband who hops through multiple universes trying to help his wife (Yeoh) save the world.

He continued, “I don’t think I could have played Waymond had you given me the role 10, 15 years ago. Looking back upon my life, all the highs and lows, I reached deep within me to pour my entire life into these three different characters.”

Everything Everywhere All at Once is out in theaters now.

Ke Huy is pictured with Michelle below, at the East West Players 56th Anniversary Visionary Awards at City Market Social House over the weekend in Los Angeles.