Ke Huy Quan Is Down To Play Short Round Again In An Indiana Jones Spin-Off
Indiana Jones isn't the only one who's back for another adventure in front of mainstream audiences. Ke Huy Quan used to be known for playing Indy's brave sidekick Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and for his role as the bumbling young inventor Data in Richard Donner's underground adventure "The Goonies." This week, that all changed when Quan won the Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Waymond Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." It was the first time since 1984 (the same year that "Temple of Doom" was released) that an actor of Asian descent won the category. That year, actor Haing S. Ngor was awarded the trophy for his work in "The Killing Fields." Quan's all-encompassing performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" ("EEAAO" for short) has redefined and reinvigorated the former child actor's entire career, giving him carte blanche to choose any future roles he wants.
To kick off the next phase of Quan's career, he'll be seen in season 2 of "Loki" on Disney+, an announcement that was revealed at the D23 Expo back in September. With the Ke Huy Quan-naissance now in full gear, it's only natural that the now in-demand actor would be asked about reprising his role as Short Round. Who knows? Now that Quan is officially in business with the house of mouse where the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Lucasfilm also reside, a cameo in the new "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is entirely possible. Harrison Ford has even said in the past that he would have loved to see a character like Short Round in "Star Wars," so there's always a chance Quan could pop up in that galaxy as well. Maybe even a Short Round spinoff?
What would Short Round be up to in 1969?
According to Empire, Indy's new adventure in "Dial of Destiny" takes place in 1969 right in the middle of the space race. If Quan were to appear in the fifth entry, what would his character Short Round be up to? Would he be an astronaut that Indy runs into at the Apollo 11 ticker-tape parade? During a conversation on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Quan talked about the possibility of dusting off Short Round's New York Yankees ball cap and returning to the character that made him kid famous. "I love the character of Short Round," Quan said according to Variety. "He's funny and courageous and saves Indy's ass."
Short Round was Quan's first acting role, which is a hard bar to set for a young actor. Now that Quan is also an established stunt coordinator, if Indy's sidekick does come back in some form, there's no way he'll be standing on the sidelines. It's purely wishful thinking at this point, but Quan is definitely on board if and when the call comes, stating "If Disney or Lucasfilm ever come to me and say, 'We want to do a Short Round spinoff,' I'm there man! I love that character so much and it would just be incredible to revisit so many years later."
If a return were to happen, what profession would Short Round have chosen to pursue? "Your guess is as good as mine," Quan said. "Just because he looks after Indy so much, I wouldn't be surprised if he was an archeologist." That's a good suggestion, even if I like my idea that he's an astronaut a little bit better. The main takeaway from all this conjecture is to highlight the fact that Short Round and Quan can be or do anything they want.
Of course he's down! But he doesn't have to be
Granted, sage advice for an actor is to never turn anything down. Ever. Gene Hackman and Michael Caine never did, so why should Ke Huy Quan? Beacuse, right now, he can. Quan would have most likely said yes to reprising his role as Short Round or Data many times since the 1980s if offered the chance. Having also appeared in a couple of other memorable roles, maybe a reboot of "Head of the Class" or a sequel to "Encino Man" wouldn't have been out of the question either. If any of those ideas ever do become reality, Quan now has the clout to make sure they're actually quality projects because he's just coming off of the best performance of his career.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" also serves as the perfect audition reel for Quan, seeing how he plays multiple different versions of himself in many different scenarios. During his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, Quan thanked Stephen Spielberg in a heartfelt moment, while also revealing an insecurity he'd been living with since his days playing Short Round in "Temple of Doom." "For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer. That no matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid," he revealed to the elite Hollywood audience. Well, he just did surpass those earlier accomplishments in a big way on a huge stage. Quan's fans, new and old, are going to be entertained for years to come once the Quan-naissance soars to new heights.