Ke Huy Quan Says Steven Spielberg "Has Not Forgotten Me" and Still Gets Christmas Gifts From Him after 38 Years

Steven Spielberg cast Ke Huy Quan as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when he was just 13-years-old. It was his first movie and he got to star alongside Harrison Ford in the 1984 adventure film, and he recently reunited with him! After all these years, 38 years later, Spielberg always kept in touch with Quan. In fact, Spielberg always makes sure to send him a Christmas gift every year.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Everything Everywhere All at Once star shared this heartwarming insight: “He gave me my first job and, so many years later, he has not forgotten me. Every time I needed help, he’s always there.”

That’s so cool to hear! After his time with Indiana Jones, Spielberg cast him as Data in The Goonies, which was another amazing role for him. When talking about the difference of working on those films, Quan went on to say:

“On ‘Indiana Jones’ I was the only kid, so I got all of the love and attention. On ‘The Goonies,’ I was one of seven, so I was constantly fighting for attention. But it was something that was very familiar to me – my parents had nine kids. It was a lot of fun, especially those amazing sets. Going to work was like going to the playground.”

Being in those films must have been an absolute blast! He added: “Spielberg was the first person to put an Asian face in a Hollywood blockbuster. Short Round is funny, he’s courageous, he saves Indy’s ass. That was a rarity then. For many years after that, we were back to square one.”

I’m so happy to see Ke Huy Quan acting again. He was so great in Everything Everywhere All at Once and he’s lined up a few other projects like The Russo Bros.’ The Electric State. But, with Disney+ and Lucasfilm looking for make a new Indiana Jones-inspired series, I would love to see him back in the role of Short Round and embark on his own wild archeological adventures.