Ke Huy Quan Recalls How Harrison Ford Comforted Him After He Started Crying On 'Indiana Jones' Set

Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan recalled the endearing moment from filming Steven Spielberg's 1984 film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, when star Harrison Ford comforted him during a scary action sequence.

Quan was 13 when he became a child actor playing Short Round, the sidekick to Ford's Indy in the darker sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Now 53, the South Vietnamese actor interviewed with Entertainment Weekly to promote his action rom-com Love Hurts and shared some of his favorite action sequences throughout his career.

One of them was the climactic mine cart chase scene from Temple of Doom, which terrified him.

The pulse-pounding action scene involved Short Round and Indy escaping the temple and its murderous cultists in a mine car that careens out of control.

Here's a snippet from one of the most thrilling cinematic action scenes that still holds up today.

"When we shot this sequence, I was so scared, and I cried," recalled Quan.

"I remember Harrison Ford kneeling down in front of me and asking me if I was okay."

Quan remembered the comforting words Ford told him at the time:

"He said, and I’ll never forget this, ‘Ke, I want you to remember, I will never hurt you.' "

"When he said that, oh my gosh, it just made me love him so much more. Here is Indiana Jones telling me that he’s gonna take care of me.”

Despite the terrifying scene, being a part of Temple of Doom cemented the actor's lifelong passion for the action genre.

"I remember watching it for the first time at our premiere, seeing it put together with sound effects and music for the first time," Quan said, adding:

"I was blown away by all of it. I was only 13 then. It made me fall in love with action."

The internet got emotional from the sweet anecdote.

After Temple of Doom, Quan co-starred in The Goonies and appeared in a succession of other films in the 2000s in minor roles before deciding to leave acting for good—or so he thought then. He cited a lack of opportunities for Asian actors at the time.

Quan went on to study at USC Film School and after graduating, he resumed working in Asian cinema as an assistant director and stunt choreographer alongside acclaimed Hong Kong film directors Corey Yuen and Wong Kar-wai.

It wasn't until 2018 that he returned to acting after being inspired by the representation in Jon M. Chu's successful rom-com Crazy Rich Asians.

Quan subsequently signed with a new agent, and one of the first film scripts he received was for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's absurdist 2022 comedy-drama film Everything Everywhere All At Once.

He landed the role of Waymond, the husband to protagonist Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, and his performance nabbed him his first Academy Award and Golden Globe.

EEAAO also won the Oscar for Best Picture, and in a full-circle moment, the award was presented by Quan's former Temple of Doom co-star Harrison Ford.

When the cast and creatives got up on stage, Ford and Quan joyously hugged each other, and the emotional win became a viral moment.

Before the epic embrace witnessed at the Academy Awards, Quan and Ford reunited for the first time in years at Disney's D23 Expo.

Quan was at the Disney convention after it was announced he was joining the cast in the MCU series Loki for its second season on Disney+.

Ford was also at the event to introduce the first trailer for the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Quan talked about the unexpected reunion with The New York Times, saying:

"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?'"

"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.'"

When Quan saw his old friend in the green room, he recalled seeing Ford turn and point his finger with "that classic, famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look."

"I go, 'Oh my gosh, he probably thinks I'm a fan, and he's gonna tell me to not come near him.' "

"But he looks and points at me and says, 'Are you Short Round?' 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."

The duo reunited again on the red carpet at a Premiere for Dial of Destiny, which you can watch here.

After all these years, Ford remains the biggest champion for Quan and his career.

When the reporter asked how proud Ford was of Quan, he replied with his arm around his former Indy co-star:

"I don't need to be proud of this guy. He's done all of this himself. It's got nothing to do with me."

"I've got great love and admiration for this guy, but his pride is his own."

Quan responded by hugging Ford and explaining to the reporter, "The reason why I love acting so much is become of him," he said.

In April 2022, Quan reflected on his career trajectory with GQ and said:

“Over the years, I’ve met a lot of Asian talent now working in Hollywood. They always thank me and say, ‘Man, it was so great to see you up there on the screen, because I was able to see myself. Thank you for paving the way for us to be here.' "

He continued:

"And, of course, it’s really interesting because they’ve paved the way for my return. My return to acting is the direct result of the progress made by them."

"It proves how important it is for not just Asian, but for all groups of people to be represented in entertainment.”

Regarding Temple of Doom, Quan said he was blown away by watching the final cut for the first time and recalled being enamored of watching Ford and co-star Kate Capshaw.

"I fell in love with the movie while we were shooting it, but watching Harrison, Kate Capshaw, and I up there on the screen with that amazing John Williams score and over a thousand people cheering and clapping at every scene?"

"That moment, I was hooked to this wonderful and fantastical world of moviemaking."

"I fell in love with acting, which was ironic, because I didn't pursue it as a kid," he added.