Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom co-stars Harrison Ford and Ke Huy Quan reunited at the D23 Expo in California last month, appearing together in a viral photo. In a new interview with The New York Times‘ Kyle Buchanan, Quan shared how the photo came about. Quan starred as Short Round in The Temple of Doom and recently returned to acting with his acclaimed performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
“We were at the D23 event and I was told Harrison was gonna be there,” Quan told Buchanan, who shared the story on Twitter Wednesday. “We’re in this green room with so many actors, producers, and directors, and the person who was assigned to assist me said, ‘Harrison Ford is right outside the green room. Would you want to go say hi?’”
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“I’m thinking, ‘Of course! I haven’t seen him in 38 years,’” Quan continued. “So I walk out and I see him about 15 feet away talking to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, they’re there to promote Indy 5. And as I walk close, my heart is pounding. I’m thinking, ‘Is he gonna recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid.’”
As Quan got closer to Ford, he had that “famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look” on his face. Quan was afraid Ford would mistake him for a fan. Thankfully, he had nothing to worry about. “He looks and points at me and says, ‘Are you Short Round?’” Quan recalled. “Immediately, I was transported back to 1984, when I was a little kid, and I said, ‘Yes, Indy.’ And he said, ‘Come here,’ and gave me a big hug.”
After starring in The Temple of Doom (1984) and The Goonies (1985), Quan turned to other opportunities in the entertainment industry, from producing to fight choreography. In 2018, he chose to return to acting and got an important role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which hit theaters in March. He also had a supporting part in Finding ‘Ohana, which was released on Netflix last year. Quan is expected to be in the conversation for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Everything Everywhere.
Quan now has two important projects coming up with Disney. He has a role in Loki Season 2 and will star in American Born Chinese with his Everything Everywhere co-star, Michelle Yeoh. Both shows will be released on Disney+.
As for Ford, he was at D23 to promote Indiana Jones 5, which Disney will release on June 30, 2023. It was directed by James Mangold and will also star Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen. Ford will also star as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Captain America: New World Order, taking the role previously played by the late William Hurt.
