Ke Huy Quan Has a Black Belt and “Finally” Gets to Be an Action Star in Love Hurts

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40 years following the releases of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies”, Ke Huy Quan has now firmly established himself as an authentic action movie star, having previously been absent from such roles for quite some time.

On February 5, the actor who won an Oscar graced the stage of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He was there to talk about his latest film, “Love Hurts,” a role he had long aspired to play since he was young.

Ke Huy Quan got a black belt after Temple of Doom

As a child, Quan earned his second-degree black belt in taekwondo following some martial arts training – which may or may not have been influenced by his roles as a fighter in the movie “Temple of Doom.

In his conversation with Jimmy Fallon, he shared that as a youngster, he mastered martial arts and even earned a black belt. His dream was always to star in an action movie, and now, he’s finally got the chance. He expressed, “I didn’t want my stunt double to hog all the exciting fight scenes; I wanted to perform them myself!

Back in the ’90s, I decided to pause my acting career for a bit and dove into the world of filmmaking at the University of Southern California. After graduating in ’99, I found myself working alongside some truly awesome folks who made every day on set a blast. One of those fantastic individuals was action choreographer Corey Yuen, with whom I built a fruitful professional partnership.

He shared that he was guided and tutored by him in creating actions and sequences of action, along with the art of choreographing them. This is what he conveyed to Entertainment Weekly. Quan and Yuen collaborated on fight scenes for ‘X-Men’ (2001) and ‘The One’ (2001), starring Jet Li. Eventually, Yuen hired Quan as an assistant director for the critically praised romance drama ‘2046’.

Quan isn’t new to delivering blows during filming. He was the fight scene arranger for the 2000s “X-Men” movie, and Fallon shared a photo of him on set squaring off against Hugh Jackman’s stunt double. Previously known for his role in “The Goonies”, Quan had never imagined he’d be acting in an action film himself, as he confessed to Fallon.

He admitted, “To put it straight, I had imagined it, dreamt about it. However, what’s exciting is that I’ve now moved from being just a spectator to actually living it, by starring in my very own film.

Ke Huy Quan got Love Hurts advice from Steven Spielberg

When Quan got the script for “Love Hurts”, he wasn’t certain if he wanted to be part of it. To seek guidance, he contacted his friend and esteemed mentor, the renowned Steven Spielberg – who previously worked with Quan on “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” – for some wisdom.

The actor expressed that he has a deep affection for action films and hasn’t seen any action stars resembling him in them over the past few decades. When he came across the script, although he admired it, he wasn’t confident that he was the ideal fit for the role.

Immediately following the Oscars, he admitted he was anxious about letting down everyone who had hoped for his victory. In fact, he turned to Spielberg and shared his concerns about the project being a Universal Studios film with a theatrical release. He presented Spielberg with the story idea, and Spielberg responded positively, saying “That sounds great! You should go ahead with it.” This was his way of giving him the green light.

What movie did Ke Huy Quan win an Oscar for?

In 2022, Ke Huy Quan earned the award for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his portrayal of Waymond Wang in the film “Everything Everywhere All At Once.

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2025-02-07 19:32