Ke Huy Quan on Potential ‘Goonies 2’: No Script So Far Has ‘Lived Up to What the Original Was’
Ke Huy Quan, a newly minted Golden Globes winner as of tonight, said backstage after winning his award for Best Supporting Actor in Any Motion Picture that he’d love to revive his character of Data in a potential “Goonies 2,” but only if the right opportunity came along.
The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actor said that a “Goonies” sequel has been trying to come together for the last 30 years, and he imagined it would be that sequel, not “Everything Everywhere,” that would get him back on screen.
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“That’s the movie I thought I would need to make a career comeback,” he said to the Golden Globes press room. “We had numerous scripts, but there was not one script that felt it could live up to what the original was. Sadly we lost the captain of our ship Dick Donner, and I really don’t know if there’s going to be a ‘Goonies 2,’ but I would really love to revisit the character of Data if there is an opportunity.” (Director Richard Donner passed away in 2021.)
Quan said an amazing thing has happened since he starred in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”: instead of people stopping him on the street and lauding him for his work as Short Round from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” or Data from “The Goonies,” they’re now recognizing him as Waymond from “Everything Everywhere.”
“That is what I always hoped would happen,” he said, adding that people have talked about how deeply the film from filmmaking duo Daniels resonated with them, how it has changed their lives, and that some even would cry in front of him while discussing the film.
Quan was also asked by the assembled press whether this opportunity and acclaim has led to every script in town coming across his desk, and he acknowledged that it’s been so long since he last acted, the position he’s in today was a complete surprise.
“I just wanted a job. I remember talking to my agent, and I said, ‘Do you think I can get a series regular role where it’s stable?’ For me to be in this position, I could not imagine,” Quan said. “I really want to play all kinds of roles that were not available to me when I was so much younger.”
Quan led off the Golden Globes with his win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture, and his win was followed up by another win from star Michelle Yeoh. “Everything Everywhere” is nominated for six awards at this evening’s awards.
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