Ke Huy Quan’s Surprise Cameo in ‘The White Lotus’ Shocks Fans!

by

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers follow for this week’s episode of The White Lotus

Quick Links

  • Ke Huy Quan Isn’t ‘The White Lotus’s First Secret Cameo

In its third season, The White Lotus is quickly building momentum, as predicted by fans. The character Timothy Ratliff, played by Jason Isaacs, finds himself in a precarious situation. After discovering that the Wall Street Journal intended to publish an article linking him to the Brunei government, he spent much of the first episode attempting to get in touch with his former business partner, Kenneth Nguyen. This week, Timothy finally managed to reach Kenneth, only to be shocked when he found out that the evidence Kenneth possesses, which authorities have access to, directly incriminates him.

Even though we’re not fully aware of their questionable actions yet, it seems both characters might end up serving prison time under the best circumstances. This development certainly propels Timothy’s story forward, which had been stagnant until now. However, the increased tension might not have been what viewers expected at first, as they were likely more focused on Kenneth’s distinctive voice during the phone call, a detail that immediately stood out.

Read Our Review

We Need More of Ke Huy Quan in ‘The White Lotus’

The voice of Kenneth was lent by none other than Ke Huy Quan, the Academy Award-winning actor, whose brief appearance signifies another remarkable milestone in an astounding comeback that has recently captured attention. Best known for his roles as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies, Quan was one of the most recognizable child actors from the ’80s. After growing older, he chose to step away from acting due to a perceived lack of career prospects for Asian actors.

Following the unexpected triumph of “Crazy Rich Asians” in 2018, Quan was bitten by the acting bug once more. His debut role after retirement was Waymond Wang in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” a performance that earned him nearly universal praise. Winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor further cemented his comeback. Since then, he has been unstoppable, taking on a significant role in Season 2 of “Loki” and providing voiceovers for “Kung Fu Panda 4” and the upcoming “Zootopia 2.”

Quan’s performance in The White Lotus stands out because it presents him in an unconventional light. Typically, audiences are accustomed to seeing him as either a lovable nerd or the voice of morality. However, in this series, he portrays a coward who recklessly engages in illegal activities despite warnings from his peers. In just two minutes, we can feel his desperation and unpredictability solely through his voice. This further highlights how his acting skills have been underestimated for a long time. Surprisingly, it would be intriguing to see more of Quan in The White Lotus Season 3.

Ke Huy Quan Isn’t ‘The White Lotus’s First Secret Cameo

It’s worth noting that Quan’s voiceover appearance continues a tradition established in The White Lotus’ second season. In the first episode of its return, we meet Dominic De Grasso, portrayed by Michael Imperioli, who has a phone conversation with his estranged wife, Abby. Eagle-eared viewers quickly recognized her voice as that of Laura Dern, interestingly enough, another Academy Award winner (for Best Supporting Actress in Marriage Story).

Given that Dern reprised his voiceover role in the final episode of the season, it leaves us wondering if we’ve seen the last of Quan as Kenneth. As longtime fans of the series, we’d be delighted to see more of Quan this year. Since he plays a pivotal character, we hope for a brief on-screen appearance this time around, as his interactions with Timothy have been one of the most engaging aspects of the season so far. Regardless, we can’t wait to discover who else acclaimed actor Mike White brings on board for the upcoming fourth season of The White Lotus, which is currently streaming on Max and airs new episodes every Sunday.

Read More

2025-02-26 04:02