South Jersey's Steven Spielberg Shares Special Oscars Moment With Ke Huy Quan

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Steven Spielberg's film, which highlighted his South Jersey childhood, went winless at the 95th Academy Awards. But the former Haddon Township resident took part in a special moment at Sunday's Oscars, nearly 40 years after he collaborated with Ke Huy Quan.

Quan fought back tears during his speech after winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The moment capped Quan's return to the big screen after a two-decade absence, and it may not have happened had Spielberg not cast him in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

After calling the victory "the American dream" during his acceptance speech, Quan went backstage at the Dolby Theatre and reunited with Spielberg, "who gave me my first opportunity," he told Good Morning America.

"He gave me a big hug and he says, 'Ke, you are now an Academy Award-winning actor," Quan said.

Later that evening, Harrison Ford presented the award for Best Picture. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won, capping the film's seven-Oscar night. Quan, who starred as Jones's sidekick Big Round in 1984's "Temple of Doom," celebrated with Ford onstage.

Spielberg's "The Fabelmans" received seven nominations but failed to win — partly because of strong competition from "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The director's film tells a fictionalized version of Spielberg's upbringing, which included five years in Haddon Township. Read more: Steven Spielberg's Camden County Childhood Featured In Oscar-Nominated

The former South Jersey resident's Oscar-less streak continued — Spielberg last won an Academy Award in 1999, when he earned Best Director for "Saving Private Ryan." But his longtime impact in discovering future stars was on full display when Quan won Best Supporting Actor.

Quan and his family fled Vietnam during his childhood. After reaching a refugee camp in Hong Kong in 1978, his family was admitted to the United States a year later.

The Vietnamese-American made his big-screen debut at age 12 in the Indiana Jones sequel. He later starred in "The Goonies" (1985) and sitcom "Head of Class" (1991) and film "Encino Man" (1992).

During adulthood, Quan found it difficult to get acting roles in the United States. So he largely worked behind the scenes for various productions in the U.S. and Asia. But the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" in 2018 inspired Quan to return to acting. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" announced Quan as a cast member in January 2020.

Although Spielberg's Oscar slump continued, he didn't go without honors last week. Camden County officials honored the director last Tuesday with a historic placard at Haddon's Westmont Theatre, which ignited his passion for cinema.

Spielberg, 76, wrote to the Camden County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday to say he was "surprised and equally honored" to learn of the historical marker. Read more: Spielberg 'Surprised,' 'Honored' By Haddon Township Historical Placard

"The Westmont was the movie house where I watched many films after 'The Greatest Show On Earth,'" Spielberg wrote. "Another film I specifically remember seeing there was John Ford's 'The Searchers' in 1956. For a budding storyteller, that theater was kind of a place of worship and when my father left RCA in Camden to join GE in Phoenix, Arizona, I sadly knew I’d be learning the memories of so many great afternoons and weekends at that movie palace behind."