There are so many actors who return to the screen and remind us why we loved them so much to begin with. That was the case with Ke Huy Quan. When he appeared in Everything Everywhere All at Once, many viewers left the theater wondering why Waymond Wang seemed so familiar, only to be reminded of a childhood favorite. Now, you may be watching Loki and wondering why Ouroboros, also known as OB, is giving you a similar feeling.
Still, there is a lot to remember about him as an actor and what you may know him from and what he was doing prior to Everything Everywhere All at Once.
OB is played by Ke Huy Quan, who joins the series for season 2 and was introduced to audiences in the season premiere. Seeing Ke Huy Quan in Loki is exciting, and it shows just what a resurgence can do for someone like Quan, who was so beloved back in the ’80s. Not only is the character perfect for Quan, but it also just reminds us so much of work he’s done in the past—which helps audiences remember why we know and love him as a performer. If you still are wondering why this actor seems so familiar, no worries, we’re here to tell you all about his career.
He’s our favorite ’80s kid and an Oscar winner!
Back in the ’80s, Ke Huy Quan was our favorite kid in movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (the film that introduced him to audiences), where he played Wan Li, known in the film as Short Round or Shorty; and The Goonies, in which he played Richard “Data” Wang. These two iconic roles have stayed with fans for decades. Quan went on to star in Encino Man, which made his Oscar win in 2023 so exciting; his co-star Brendan Fraser won for Best Actor and gave us a sweet reunion story. For the most part, Quan seemed to disappear for a while after the early ’90s.
Fans seemed to think this was just a case of a child star deciding that Hollywood wasn’t for him, but we learned later that Quan had taken a more behind-the-scenes role because he was told he wouldn’t be a star. He did stunt supervision on movies like X-Men and The Avenging Fist, and he worked regularly, but it wasn’t until he saw films like Crazy Rich Asians that he realized he can have a successful career and that people want to see Asian actors in lead roles.
It’s why Quan went back out for acting roles and why we got to see him as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once. He is by far one of my favorite performers, and has been for most of my life; I love Shorty very deeply and Data was my favorite of the Goonies. Watching his work now as an adult, it’s clear that Quan has a way of commanding the screen that we missed out on because of the racism Hollywood is steeped in. Luckily for us, Quan pushed back against it and is taking the world by storm once more in Loki.
(featured image: Disney+)
