Ke Huy Quan Choreographed A Huge Fight In The Original X-Men Movie

The career of one Ke Huy Quan may just be one of Hollywood's most stirring comeback stories. After gaining recognition as a child actor in "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," Quan struggled to find further roles as he grew older and eventually all but disappeared from movies as a performer. That is until he made his incredibly lauded return in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," kicking off the let the Ke Huy Quan-Naissance and winning him an Academy Award — not to mention the hearts of all rooting for his much-deserved success. Quan never quit the industry entirely, however, and his work as a stunt choreographer and assistant director in his interim years proves his technical expertise in the world of cinema.

After "The Goonies" released in 1985, Quan appeared in a variety of international productions like the Japanese bike racing drama "Passengers" in 1987, the American sitcom "Head of the Class" in 1990, and the Taiwanese period piece television series "The Big Eunuch & Carpenter" in 1993. Quan himself stated that he found it easier to find work overseas in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and eventually retired from acting altogether. He attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts and graduated in 1999, looking to pivot to work behind the camera.

After USC, Quan formed a relationship with director and action choreographer Corey Yuen, who has worked with martial arts superstars Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Quan's future "Everything Everywhere" co-star Michelle Yeoh. As an action director on "X-Men," Yuen took Quan on set and taught him the ropes, leading to him helping choreograph the fight between Wolverine and a Wolverine look-alike Mystique. The behind-the-scenes footage went viral recently in a Twitter post from Will McCrabb, who pointed out the multifaceted skills of Quan.

The actor never truly disappeared from cinema since, even when Hollywood wouldn't give him a chance, he clearly couldn't give up on his passion. He got a job as an assistant director for Wong Kar-Wai on the sci-fi romance film "2046," honing his chops as a protege of one of Hong Kong's most esteemed filmmakers. However, seeing "Crazy Rich Asians" inspired him to return to acting. Curiously, Quan is set to star in the second season of "Loki" on Disney+, re-appearing on the set of a Marvel Comics property. This time, he'll make the full circle to being in front of the camera.