He didn’t have an easy childhood

Quan was born in Saigon during the Vietnam war. After the fall of Saigon, young Quan and his family fled the country, splitting up in the process. In an interview with Vulture, he recalled how he lived in a Hong Kong refugee camp for a year with his father and five siblings before finally reuniting with the rest of the family in the United States by the time he turned eight years old.

He nabbed his iconic role in Indiana Jones by chance

Quan didn’t know who Harrison Ford was when he auditioned for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In fact, he didn’t even know he was interested in acting. But he was seemingly destined to play the role of Short Round.

The casting director had announced an open casting call, and when Quan’s brother went to audition, he tagged along. After seeing Quan help his brother with his lines, the casting director invited him to give it a shot too.

“Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would end up being an actor. But I fell in love with it. That movie changed my life and my entire family’s life,” he told People.

It broke his heart to quit acting

A year later, Quan starred in The Goonies, another blockbuster hit. As he got older, however, Quan learned that opportunities for Asian actors were few and far in between.

“I was content at that time, but something was missing. For many years I lied to myself by saying that I didn’t like acting any more to make it feel less painful,” he admitted to GQ.

Watching Crazy Rich Asians changed his life

Still, the thought of rejection, especially at his age, scared him. He told Metro that he feared his comeback wouldn’t be well-received, so it wasn’t a “decision that was made lightly”.

He ultimately resolved to give acting another try. “That movie dared me to pursue acting again,” he said of Crazy Rich Asians to Variety. “It’s also a testament to how important it is for not just Asians, but all groups of people, to be represented in entertainment. Until you see it, you can’t believe that it can also be you up there on the big screen.”

He’s proud of his roots

After Indiana Jones, Quan was told his name was difficult to pronounce. He was thereafter billed as Jonathan Ke Quan in subsequent projects.

But Quan now goes by his birth name. This decision stemmed from a desire to reclaim the roots of his identity, both as an actor and as an Asian-American.

“I just want people to know the real me. It has a lot to do with my family and my heritage. When I decided to get back into acting, going back to my roots, I thought it was fitting to go back to my given name,” he told The Nerds of Color.