Actor Ke Huy Quan made history during Sunday’s 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards after becoming the first Asian male to win the outstanding supporting actor award in the film category.
Quan took home the statue for his role as Waymond Wang in the 2022 hit movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
In an impassioned speech, Quan referenced the time he stepped away from acting after his highly visible turns in the 80s – in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1984 and “The Goonies” in 1985 – because there weren’t “enough opportunities” for Asian actors.
Quan’s role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was his first major film credit since the 90s. On Sunday, he went on to thank his cast mates and directors Daniel Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, saying “the landscape looks so different now than before.” He also thanked everybody in the room who “contributed to those changes.”
The actor then thanked his costar Michelle Yeoh, telling her he’s “so glad that when we both started our careers in 1984, that one day we would meet on the big screen.” Quan also gave thanks to costar Jamie Lee Curtis during his speech, who also won a SAG award on Sunday for her supporting role as Deirdre Beaubeirdre in the movie.
Quan also took the opportunity while accepting his award to share some words of encouragement for other actors out there “who are struggling to be seen.”
“Please keep going,” he said. “Because the spotlight will one day find you.”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” has also earned 11 Oscar nominations, including for best picture and Quan for supporting actor. Quan took home a Golden Globe award for his performance in the film last month.
