The resurgence of Ke Huy Quan in the world has made my millennial heart very happy. Mainly because I grew up loving Data from The Goonies. Now, he seems to be popping up all over the place and good.
Since his return to acting and his Oscar win, we’ve all just wanted more Ke Huy Quan in our lives.
Looking at his past work and seeing how he was in so many classics, it is easy to see why so many of us love him so dearly. Breaking down some of his exciting titles, let’s talk about his movies and television shows and what you should watch if you want more of Ke Huy Quan’s work in your life!
Loki
Currently, Ke Huy Quan plays O.B., or Ouroboros, on Loki on Disney+. The series is still airing but Ouroboros is a delightful character that highlights Quan’s ability as an actor. O.B. has the ability to fix anything brought to him by the TVA. He is still dedicated to his work and making sure he’s doing everything in his power to keep the TVA running.
He’s just a man who wants to do the best job he can. There is still a mystery to him and we don’t quite know what he’s up to or how he ended up at the TVA but that’s not really a concern for him, he’s just happy to fix things with Casey.
The Goonies
Data was always my favorite in The Goonies. He had his gadgets, loved James Bond, and didn’t care that his friends made fun of him for his inventions. Data could easily let his friends get to him but he doesn’t. He creates things and it all comes in handy when they need it the most.
The kids of The Goonies are all fascinating but Data was special and someone that I truly have loved since I saw the movie for the first time.
American Born Chinese
If you know anything about Quan’s history in Hollywood, his role in American Born Chinese is one that reminds you of his own career. Playing Jamie Yao, an actor in a sitcom called Beyond Repair, Quan brought Jamie to life as an actor who was at the top of his game in a sitcom where he was feeding into stereotypes. Much like Quan’s own career, Jamie ended up in a different kind of field until he was back in the limelight.
In a lot of ways, the role of Jamie reflects what Quan went through and it is a fascinating role to look at if you’re a fan of Quan as well as a fan of the novel by Gene Luen Yang.
Encino Man
What happens when you uncover a caveman in your backyard when you’re trying to make a pool? Encino Man. This movie was fascinating for a lot of reasons. It brought Ke Huy Quan and Sean Astin back together after The Goonies. It also had Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan in it and so when the two were winning Oscars at the same time in 2023 together, fans of Encino Man were very excited.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
You probably went into Everything Everywhere All At Once and wondered why you knew this man you were looking at, and then started crying when you realized what was happening. Or at least that’s what happened to me. I’d missed him so much and had assumed, as many had, that he just didn’t want to be an actor anymore and didn’t realize that it was Hollywood’s racism keeping Quan from us.
This movie not only won him an Oscar but gave Quan back to us in such a brilliant display of his talent and skill. Everything Everywhere All At Once is perfection and Quan proves to us all just how good he is throughout this movie in every universe.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The movie that started it all! Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom introduced Ke Huy Quan to the world. Playing Short Round (who does have a name in the books and it is Wan Li), he is Indiana Jones’ right-hand man and a kid that Indy sort of adopts. The movie is a prequel and we don’t know what happened to Shorty in the rest of the movies. I’d like to think that Indy goes and checks on him a lot.
Personally, Shorty is the only redeemable thing in Temple of Doom outside of how hot Harrison Ford is but that’s maybe just me not really loving anything in this movie outside of those two aspects. I do think that there is a market for a Shorty story but still, this movie is worth it for Quan’s first performance.
Go enjoy all the Ke Huy Quan in the world!
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
