How Ke Huy Quan stole our hearts at the Oscars

“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year at a refugee camp, and somehow I ended up here,” said Ke Huy Quan when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. The former child star made a Hollywood comeback after his acting career was put on hold for a few decades. Now he’s winning Oscars and stealing our hearts.

Ke Huy Quan: Oscar winner

Ke Huy Quan went from child actor to 51-year-old actor with no inbetween. He just wanted to get back into acting, but couldn’t have predicted he’d be nominated for an Oscar. Up against Brian Tyree Henry, Judd Hirsch, Brendan Gleeson, and Barry Keoghan, Quan won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, becoming just the second Asian American to ever win in that category.

It wasn’t just the fact that he made a comeback, but his attitude that won everyone over. On the red carpet, Quan looked like a kid at Disney World, waving and pointing and unable and unwilling to hide his excitement at being at the Oscars. His humility, good humor, and childlike wonder was contagious and anyone watching him couldn’t help but smile.

When Ariana DeBose read his name on the card, she could barely hold it together herself. Then, Quan came on stage and gave an emotional and touching speech to make us all even more teary. He spoke about his 84-year-old mother, telling her, “mom, I just won an Oscar!” through sniffles. He told about how he started as a refugee, and somehow made it to the biggest stage in Hollywood.

“They say stories like this only happen in the movies,” said Quan. “I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream!”